Your tax dollars at work
Did you know that schools would prefer that student drive unsafely just to they can get to school on time?I was notified that my daughter was marked tardy to school on Monday, and that it was unexcused, despite the fact that I wrote her a note and explained an issue that was beyond anyone's control. When I inquired about this to the attendance secretary, I was given only absurd alternatives ..
Monday morning, it was about 15 degrees at 7:30am. My daughter's car, which has no heat due to a broken heater core that I can't afford to have repaired right now, had iced over windows. She started trying to clear the windows using a scraper and by pouring windshield de-icer over it 15 minutes before she had to leave for school, but she was still late. I wrote her a note, explaining that she was late due to her windows being iced over.
After learning that it was still unexcused, I wrote an email to the attendance secretary. This is what I got back:
I looked into Monday morning's check in and [she] did check in at 8:15 due to car trouble, all car trouble remains unexcused unless a student can provide each and every time a receipt from AAA or a receipt from a mechanic that the car has been worked on listing the problem.
I can just hear AAA or the mechanic when we call because of an icy windshield!
This is your tax dollars at work, folks. They expect the kids to either drive unsafely or get an unexcused tardy. How lovely.
Oh, and I won't even start on how the attendance clerk pulled a 'tude on my daughter when she informed her that it was not excused. She told her that she shouldn't even bother coming to school anymore, and should just drop out.
This on top of the school reporting her to the state because she had failing grades due to illness and wasn't able to keep up. Now they are going to suspend her drivers license ... that spells some serious financial doom for us, more immediate than the already impending financial doom I have been facing and freaking out over, when my insurance either gets canceled or the rates skyrocket. What a totally retarded law!
I am so pissed at this school I could just scream!
I have to agree with Barry. While I do sympathize with you and your daughter's plight, the bottom line is that there are alternatives which would have gotten your daughter to school on time. Had she een on the way to school and then had car trouble, that would be an entirely different matter. Something as simple as starting to get ready for school a little earlier might have avoided the problems.
That doesn't excuse the bad behavior of the clerk. However, in most cases, those rules are not set by a clerk, they are set by admistrators or school boards.
That doesn't excuse the bad behavior of the clerk. However, in most cases, those rules are not set by a clerk, they are set by admistrators or school boards.
Posted by Steve L. on 02/22 at 03:10 PM
Ahh ... I do believe a little more context may help in understanding my frustration ...
We have had ongoing issues with the school in regards to attendance all year long. My daughter has been having a really hard time ... major depression and anxiety, and has missed a lot of days. The school tried to make it a truancy issue, even with notes from me, doctors and a letter stating the nature of her problems. The school has largely disregarded most of this, plus has been inaccurate in accounting of attendance. There are days where I know she was there, and they have her marked absent ... days when she was not there, and they marked her as present. They have reported her to the state to have her drivers license suspended - which is potentially devastating financially ... ever pay for insurance with a driver in the household that has a suspended license?
Anyway ... it is not unreasonable to think that 15 minutes is sufficient time to clear a windshield of ice. That it took longer was not expected ... it is not often that we have temps below 20 here. But for the attendance clerk to berate her as she did, along with the snarky comments made, is uncalled for, even with a so-called normal kid. This one is emotionally fragile right now, and I am in Mama Bear protective mode for her.
As for the reasoning that excuses will only be accepted from a mechanic or AAA is absurd ... say one had a dead battery - maybe 30 minutes late if you get a jump start yourself vs 2 to 3 hours late waiting for AAA. Which makes more sense? To the school, it would be the second choice.
I'm just tired of dealing with their crap ...
We have had ongoing issues with the school in regards to attendance all year long. My daughter has been having a really hard time ... major depression and anxiety, and has missed a lot of days. The school tried to make it a truancy issue, even with notes from me, doctors and a letter stating the nature of her problems. The school has largely disregarded most of this, plus has been inaccurate in accounting of attendance. There are days where I know she was there, and they have her marked absent ... days when she was not there, and they marked her as present. They have reported her to the state to have her drivers license suspended - which is potentially devastating financially ... ever pay for insurance with a driver in the household that has a suspended license?
Anyway ... it is not unreasonable to think that 15 minutes is sufficient time to clear a windshield of ice. That it took longer was not expected ... it is not often that we have temps below 20 here. But for the attendance clerk to berate her as she did, along with the snarky comments made, is uncalled for, even with a so-called normal kid. This one is emotionally fragile right now, and I am in Mama Bear protective mode for her.
As for the reasoning that excuses will only be accepted from a mechanic or AAA is absurd ... say one had a dead battery - maybe 30 minutes late if you get a jump start yourself vs 2 to 3 hours late waiting for AAA. Which makes more sense? To the school, it would be the second choice.
I'm just tired of dealing with their crap ...
Posted by LissaKay on 02/22 at 03:39 PM
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a) if they knew the car had no heat capability beforehand,
b) if they knew when they woke up that the windshield was iced over and would likely need special attention to get it cleaned off
If yes to both questions, I would ask the student why they didn't start earlier in getting it cleaned off. Or I might ask why they didn't ask a parent to drive them in. Or any other number of options that might present itself.
Again, in your specific case none of these options may have been viable - and probably should've been excused since you wrote the note. But in a general sense, it is the responsibility of the student and the parent to make sure they explore every way possible to get to school on time.
I'm not sure what difference it makes to them whether a tardy is excused or not, I don't know how that system works. But it's unfortunate the clerk wasn't very helpful.
Posted by Barry on 02/22 at 09:49 AM