WFRHS absence letter really has me ticked! (lawyer, middle school) - The Triangle Area - City-Data Forum

Strongasabear · 03-17-2011, 09:39 PM

Our son has exceeded 6 absences this year due to illness. We have never failed to send him back to school with a note. Unfortunately, he does not always turn his notes into the office. I have found several of them in pants pockets and his backpack, long afterwards.

Today, we received a very upsetting letter from the principal - generic I'm sure - but nonetheless signed by the principal. The letter outlines the NC laws and regulations regarding student absences and the consequences of parents who fail "to affect a child's attendance..." It goes on to say "Parents may be prosecuted under the General Compulsatory Attendance Law if these absences cannot be justified...Parents who are found guilty of this law may be subject to a fine or imprisonment or both at the discretion of the court."...

Has anyone else ever received such a letter? I find this outrageously unneccesary! Obviously if it has come to sending out threatening letters of imprisonment to parents, the current absence reporting policy is not working and a new method is in order! Some schools have used a phone absence line for parents to call in to report their student's absence, which seems to work very well.

lamishra · 03-17-2011, 10:40 PM

Personally I don't think it's a big deal and have no problem with schools sending such a letter. If you don't think it applies to your situation, throw it in the trash and move on.

meh_whatever · 03-17-2011, 10:51 PM

It's a standard letter. I've gotten a few over the years, having 3 kids at various ages.

Ignore it. They send those so they have a leg to stand on if a parent is truly negligent. Obviously, you are not. If you were, you wouldn't have had a stable address at which to receive mail. Ironic, isn't it?

hopefulx3 · 03-18-2011, 04:16 AM

You stated that you KNOW that your son has not submitted the required notes to explain his absences -- so as far as the school knows these are 'unexcused' since they have NOT received notification from you that he was, indeed, sick.

It would seem they are justified to inquire about these absences -- and I'm sure we can all agree that the language used in the letter is not directly aimed at you but was rather written by a lawyer to cover themselves in the event that, say, someone decides to sue the school because they somehow feel that their child's education was not up to par even thought they missed numerous days -- commonly known as the 'cya' letter.

Instead of venting here I'm sure a nice phone call or letter to the school explaining that these were, indeed, excused absences, would clear the whole matter up.

no kudzu · 03-18-2011, 04:56 AM

If it was me I would be directing my wrath at my kid for not doing what he needed to do-turn in the notes- and not at the school.

HS_DUDE · 03-18-2011, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strongasabear

Unfortunately, he does not always turn his notes into the office. I have found several of them in pants pockets and his backpack, long afterwards.

Sounds like you know what the problem is. Try holding your son accountable for his actions. You did your part by writing the note, he failed on his part.

You should show your son the letter from the school and take away a privilege as necessary. No need to direct your anger at the school system because your son couldn't complete a very basic task.

dchz1 · 03-18-2011, 05:24 AM

I also have received one of these letters a few years back and trashed it.

NYer · 03-18-2011, 05:57 AM

I received one for my middle school son. The letter was a form letter, like yours. It said he wa "approaching" the number of absences where... well, they "call in the lawyers."

My son is forever forgetting to hand in the absence notes so I search the backpack for them regularly. In our case only 2 absences were unexcused. Now, mind you, he was sick for each & every one of those absences.

The letter clearly stated that even if an absence was excused it couted torward their total! It is upsetting to me because the school also wants you to keep your kid out of school if he is running a fever- so- which do they want?!

In the end, I am just ignoring it. I fwe did reach that point where we had to have a meeting, I have documentation of doctor's visits, etc. and would challenge them with their own policy re: sick kids at school. But I do agree with the pp's that this is their CYA procedure. If you think about it, it would open a can of worms for them to selectively send the letters...

Jenaten · 03-18-2011, 06:44 AM

I think the OP is overreacting a bit. You should be directing some of that frustration at your child for not handing in the notes you provided to him. The letter is just a standard one that everyone receives in cases like this. Some parents need to hear tough language like this in order to get them to take school absenteeism seriously. Some parents don't. I'm sure you aren't the type that does, but the school cannot pick and choose who gets the legal threats and who simply gets a nice, fluffy warning. Just contact the school and get it straightened out. No big deal.

Emitchell · 03-18-2011, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hopefulx3

Instead of venting here I'm sure a nice phone call or letter to the school explaining that these were, indeed, excused absences, would clear the whole matter up.

I think the current Modus operandi in fashion is to shop your story around to all the local TV stations. Because, after all lets face it, local TV news exists to solve all our problems.