Unexcused Absence

Last week my boys were home from school several days sick. In particular Andrew was out 4 of the 5 days of school. He was home Monday Tuesday, went in Wednesday, played with a kid who threw up and then was home again Thursday Friday.

Last night I got a note from the school stating they had scheduled a meeting for me to meet with the school board because my kid has too many unexcused absences.

I don't know...maybe I'm a maverick but I don't send sick kids to school!

Does the school board really want to rummage in my house, send over a social worker, threaten to take away my kids because I don't send them to school when they are sick? I am outraged! I want to go to that meeting and say "what do you think you are doing? Check out my well adjusted kids, see the attendance of my other children, check out their test scores....aren't you the same people who told me my kids scored the highest in the school? Doesn't my Andrew have straight A's? What do you think a social worker can find by coming to my home? Find I am an unfit parent for keeping a sick child home?"

I want to rant, I want to rave but my older and wiser husband interjects....."Do you think you could call the pediatrician and explain the situation and see if she will give you a note? I really don't want to mess with the authorities who have a right to take away our children."

Can you believe that in America a state will threaten to take your children because you believe the spread of germs is generally a bad thing? I suppose that is why Andrew's friend who threw up on Wednesday was sent to school. His mother would rather hang onto her own kids and make sure she can raise them herself then to be threatened by the state because of an unexcused absence. So what if other kids become infected?

This morning Alyssa was not feeling well. Stomach ache. Her Dad encouraged her to go to school....An hour later we receive a call from the school nurse. Your daughter is not feeling well, please pick her up. I cut my errands short and head to the middle school. I'm admonished by the nurse to not send sick kids to school..."please keep the germs out of this building." These are words that actually spilled from her mouth! My jaw drops and my mind reels at the hypocrisy of it all. Someone other than the parent has the authority to say "Yes, your child is sick. Please take her home."

At least this will not be an unexcused absence.