NO WONDER PEOPLE SEND THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL SICK!

[curious12]

@dman12323 Ugh.

I'm sorry you have to go through this.

 

[kaytlinsdad]

@dman12323 This is so strange to me. Also Louisiana mom here. Last year my oldest was in kindergarten and missed a lot of school. Sometimes she had a doctor note, sometimes not. She was out almost a week when she got lice. (Yuck I know) so I could make absolute sure she was clear so she wasn’t a risk to other kids. Most of the time I just write a note especially since they have the 48 hr rule. Maybe I live in a less strict parish?

 

[dman12323]

@kaytlinsdad I vividly remember my mom HAVING to send me when I got lice in 3rd grade because it wouldn't have been excused. That was in the 90s, but I feel like not much has changed.

 

[kaytlinsdad]

@dman12323 That’s crazy. I’m sorry

 

[dimuthnc]

@dman12323 I still currently live in south Louisiana and the attendance laws are getting even stricter. My mom put my siblings in K-12 and they typically make straight A’s now because they can get all of their work if they miss.

 

[inatalie]

@dman12323 People do that here ( netherlands) because ‘what, it’s just a fever” and there’s poor liam keeling over with chicken pox and looking dazed.

Uggh. They figure it’s no biggie.

 

[aleximaq]

@dman12323 I took my youngest out of public school to homeschool, and I still got sent to truancy court. Even when the board of education sent over everything to the court. They still made me show up. Our new judge was pissed at the entire thing. Especially when he found out why I took her out of public school.

 

[takodadream]

@dman12323 That is fucking wild.

Our school doesn’t require a doctors note but I try and give them if I spend the damn money at the doctor. Here is this $70 receipt. facepalm

I figured with as rampant as the flu and strep are right now they’d want a note allowing the kids to come back.

 

[katrina2017]

@dman12323 I grew up in King County in Washington state and was in Lake Washington School District from 1998-2010. As a child, to be an excused absence, your parent just called the school. That was it. All the way through high school.
Im sure it's the same way now, but just 30 minutes away in King County in Seattle School District, you must show up in person as the parent, with valid doctors note or excuse, to have an excused abcence.

 

[bananamunch]

@dman12323 At my sons' schools all you have to do is say they're sick. Only when there are excessive absences due to "illness" is when we start to require a doctor's note to excuse the absence.

 

[sirca18]

@dman12323 It's total BS. Between myself and my kids we have gotten sick so many times in the past few months. I have epilepsy and there are days I know I can't drive and so they've missed school a few days here and there because of that. Compound that with actual sick days and we're over the limit of "acceptable" absences.

My 12 yo always makes up his missed work and my youngest is in Pre-K so she's not missing out on SAT prep or anything and the school is still on my a**. Had to have a meeting with higher ups and explained the situation in detail and they basically said if the kids miss anymore school the situation will be escalated even higher in the school district. Then what happens... My kids got sick again!

I can't in good conscience send my kids to school sick with fevers, coughs, and vomiting so that it will take longer for them to get better and get other kids sick. But sure, go ahead and get the superintendent involved.

I don't even know how families with two working parents do it. How do you find last minute childcare that will take a sick child? Maybe you take off a day to stay home with them but then what? They're still sick the next day, you can't miss even more work!

 

[bcawdrey]

@dman12323 Sameeee! It is so stupid. Our school actually does a thing where if you pick your child up early they issue it as a tardy.

 

[michelle14]

@dman12323 When I was in school a doctor's note only excused up to 9 days anyway, any more than that and the child would either accrue unexcused absences regardless of the reason or the parent would have to set up an IEP with the school board. When I was 16 I randomly developed chronic kidney stones and in my 11th grade year missed something like 80 days from passing stones - we got a letter stating that despite my 3.8 GPA I would be held back to repeat the grade because extremely low attendance is an automatic failure. I ended up dropping out and getting my GED - the GED was actually easier, seriously like 8th grade education level shit.

The moral of that long and vaguely related story is that doctor's notes are hardly helpful anyway, if they want to be assholes they will be regardless.

 

[godisgood22]

@dman12323 Wait, what? How does the system work there? Here in Canada you just stay home...generally your parent will call the office and report you absent, but no one ever needed to provide a doctor's note. What kind of consequences are there?

 

[katrina2017]

@dman12323 I don't get it. It's your kid. You are the parent....wtf does school dictate where they are?

I mean if you are talking a month straight sure but....

 

[katrina2017]

@dman12323 I forget excuses a lot for doctor visit. But can usually just stop by on the way to school/work and ask the receptionist for one. They'll look to see when the appointment was in their computer and ask when I'm going back to work/school.

I totally get the freak out about feeling like you're getting punished for following sick policy though! My work does this to us all the time. Try to be good and follow sick policy so other teachers and kids don't continue to get sick or keep our own kid home so they don't spread it? Suspension. Even with a doctor excuse showing the date the doctor says you shouldn't go back because you'll still be contagious.

 

[irishclaire]

@dman12323 Yuuuuup, where I am, you get a truancy letter from the district after a single unexcused absence. Out sick without a doctor's note? Unexcused. I have found that those letters can be safely ignored by most people, but those with kids with chronic conditions have to deal with so much bs from the district.

 

[richmondjema]

@dman12323 You did the right thing, mama! Thank you for thinking of all the children who would be exposed to your kiddo's virus.

I remember when I was a kid, all they needed was a note from my mom explaining that I was sick. It's such bullshit that they require kids to go to the doctor for a sniffle and runny nose when all they really need to do is get some rest and some fluids. Especially since many are uninsured these days.

Blows my mind that a note from me isn't valid anymore. Doesn't stop me from trying though.

 

[akala]

@dman12323 For us we don't need the doctor's note but we do need to explain the reason why they are home. My husband flips out "she's our kid I'm saying she's staying home today".

Honestly it's to protect kids from parents that can't be bothered to bring them to school or make sure they are actually getting to see a doctor when they need to.

Sill annoying that good parents gets fucked by it

 

[katrina2017]

@dman12323 Kindergarten kid got sent home from school because he had a note from the doctor saying he was seen for pink eye and on abx since Saturday, but not that he can return to school on Monday. Even though the very known rule is 24 hours on abx to return to school and it has been 50 some hours but whatever. Lost time at work and school for what needed to be a phone call.

I get it, follow the rules to keep all the kids healthy. But the nurse needs to also have common sense and a calendar.