Missed some days of school? You get truancy.

[Ash]

West Virginia’s School Attendance Policy and Discipline is going way to far.

The school’s attendance policy is that you can’t have more than ten unexcused absences. Once you hit eleven they authorities step in which is normal until you get to the point of West Virginia. I’m pretty sure this is all WV schools.

My brother, 15, had parent notes but failed to turn them in. He also had doctors notes he didn’t turn in. So, when he went to court they put him on probation with truancy. On probation until he’s eighteen. He has to take pee tests once a month and can be called in for pee tests. He can’t miss school unless he has a doctors note and he was placed in alternative school. My brother doesn’t do drugs or drink. The boy only missed a few days of school and most the time forgot to turn in his notes (after three days of your missed day parent notes do not count). Something happened one day where my brother didn’t want to do his gym class. The teacher told him he either needed to get up and run laps or go do his school work. My brother did curse. He said “this is bull” under his breath. When my brother took the offer in doing his school work the teacher turned him in for cursing her. Not just cursing, cursing her. He didn’t curse her it was the running he had a problem with. He shouldn’t have to begin with but the teacher didn’t need to lie either. She also turned him in for walking out when she offered that option. Because he got written up he had no choice but to go into a boys home. Thankfully, my dad didn’t want that so he made my brother move to Florida. Florida’s school board and court system said, “We don’t beleive in truancy for that” so my brother is off free.

It was my senior year and I had pinkeye. I couldn’t go to the doctor and I couldn’t miss a day of a class I needed after school hours. If I missed a day of this class I wouldn’t be allowed back and I would have failed that class. This class doesn’t even allow doctor notes as an excuse. I talked to a principle and he told me to stay knowing I had pinkeye. I don’t understand this. It’s ridiculous. You’re not even allowed at school with pinkeye unless it’s in the non-contagious stage.

I think the schools are going nuts. Yes, something should be done about missing days but nothing like this.





Btw, this isn't a rant. I'm curious as to other schools discipline for this.


So what happens/happened at your school?

[gfx25]

Can't you legally drop out at 16 with parents permission?

[Ash]

Jul 5, 2011 23:12:42 GMT -8 @gfx25 said:

Can't you legally drop out at 16 with parents permission?

Not if you have what my brother did. He wasn't allowed too.
But otherwise, yes.

[Derek‽]

That's a bit... strict. 0.o In my junior year of high school I was one of the most truant students in the school. Every third day I was either late or just didn't show up, and I can't say I ever could have cared less. I had missed well over 30 days (unexcused) and was still only getting detentions (which I skipped) and suspensions (which I loved, because nothing demonstrates a complete lack of authority like punishing a truant kid by making him stay home). Eventually, after about 50 or so days of absence, I was convinced I was untouchable. That is, until the following summer when I received notice in the mail that I had a court date in the juvenile court. >.> Damn.

I plead guilty, paid a $300 fine, and had to take a drug test. Stupidly, this was in July; the offense took place several months earlier and I wouldn't be back in school for a couple more months, so there wasn't really anything the court could do. I had a follow-up court appearance one month after the following school year started, the duration of which I was on a probationary period.

My options had been limited to either going to school, or I'd be biased to the local juvenile detention center everyday to attend mandatory schooling from 7 to 5. I opted to just go to school. It's the only time I've ever bowed to authority.

[Hero]

It's the exact same policy my school district had, I didn't think it was strict at all (actually, is your policy 10 for the school year or 10 for the semester? We had the latter). If a special case comes up (for example, my brother was diagnosed with cancer his freshman year of highschool and missed most of that year and about half of the next), they're more than willing to work with you (which usually means sending an at home teacher to help you).

In general though, there shouldn't be much reason for someone to miss 10 days a semester.



Then again, my mom's a teacher and I tend to side more on there sides then the kids who felt like skipping every other class.

[SelBear]

10 days is not normal, in my high school when I was fifteen I missed over 20 days unexcused and they tried that stuff with me, my mom got involved and brought in all the notes that I had forgot to turn in and showed them. They let me off. Finally when I was a junior in high school I was hospitalized and my doctor didn't fax my note over so I got all that truancy stuff sent and I just dropped out with my parents notice, even with the truancy stuff pending and it was all dropped. Once you're sixteen they cannot do anything about it. You can drop out with your parents permission. So even if your brother stayed in that school he could have dropped out in a year and problem would be solved, the probation and everything would have to be dropped, because it was for a reason that he no longer is involved with.

One of the biggest reasons behind the strict policies now is the 'No Child Left Behind' thing. Before that really came about about all they did was call your parents and detentions. No Child Left Behind is a big cause for a lot of problems in schools now, but I do not want to get into that.

[Robyn]

You seem surprised than a school would dare go that far. I'm not surprised. Terrified, absolutely horrified and upset? Yes. But surprised? Sadly, no.

With government based education systems running public schools, legal troubles are bound to happen. I may homeschool now, but who says I still don't know what's going on in school via news articles and my friends?

[James [a_leon]]

10 days seems to be a standard number. That's all you was allowed per semester at my high school. I have no idea what happened at that point, since I never missed that much.

[Robyn]

To those who say that 10 days may seem 'odd', what about those sudden funeral trips that require that many days, plus sick days (if I'm really sick, sometimes I take up to a week to to be 'okay' in public) so all of this total...

[Derek‽]

Jul 6, 2011 4:40:47 GMT -8 Robyn said:

To those who say that 10 days may seem 'odd', what about those sudden funeral trips that require that many days, plus sick days (if I'm really sick, sometimes I take up to a week to to be 'okay' in public) so all of this total...

I don't know anyone who has had to take a sudden 10-day funeral trip. I'm going to say that's a very rare occurrence, and unless a kid's mother just died and the funeral is being held in Beijing, there's no good reason to pull them out of school for anywhere near that long.

And if a person is sick for a week, the school's going to demand a doctor's note in order to excuse the time off.

[Inter{n}ational]

i've never had an unexcused absence, so ... i'm a bit biased when i say i agree.

at my school, all you have to do to get an excused absence is have your parent call in and tell them you're not gonna be there.

i happen to lose notes a lot so... xDDD

[Chris]

Jul 6, 2011 4:40:47 GMT -8 Robyn said:

To those who say that 10 days may seem 'odd', what about those sudden funeral trips that require that many days, plus sick days (if I'm really sick, sometimes I take up to a week to to be 'okay' in public) so all of this total...

"Unexcused" is the key word. At my high school, that was an excused absence. You just have to make sure to turn in the note/have your parents call in, which was the issue in all the above cases...

Ashleigh's pinkeye scenario is something else all together.

[Ash]

Jul 6, 2011 4:59:23 GMT -8 Derek‽ said:

Jul 6, 2011 4:40:47 GMT -8 Robyn said:

To those who say that 10 days may seem 'odd', what about those sudden funeral trips that require that many days, plus sick days (if I'm really sick, sometimes I take up to a week to to be 'okay' in public) so all of this total...

I don't know anyone who has had to take a sudden 10-day funeral trip. I'm going to say that's a very rare occurrence, and unless a kid's mother just died and the funeral is being held in Beijing, there's no good reason to pull them out of school for anywhere near that long.

And if a person is sick for a week, the school's going to demand a doctor's note in order to excuse the time off.

Death of a family member though takes much longer to accept and heal. If one of my parents died there's no way I'd go into school until I am emotionally stable. Doctors won't give notes to that. I don't know about all school but we only have a certain amount of parent notes we can have.

Jul 6, 2011 5:02:28 GMT -8 Inter{n}ational said:

i've never had an unexcused absence, so ... i'm a bit biased when i say i agree.

at my school, all you have to do to get an excused absence is have your parent call in and tell them you're not gonna be there.

i happen to lose notes a lot so... xDDD

Schools in WV do not allow that. They document every note. Incase it's needed in the future.

Jul 6, 2011 5:06:38 GMT -8 Chris said:

Jul 6, 2011 4:40:47 GMT -8 Robyn said:

To those who say that 10 days may seem 'odd', what about those sudden funeral trips that require that many days, plus sick days (if I'm really sick, sometimes I take up to a week to to be 'okay' in public) so all of this total...

"Unexcused" is the key word. At my high school, that was an excused absence. You just have to make sure to turn in the note/have your parents call in, which was the issue in all the above cases...

Ashleigh's pinkeye scenario is something else all together.

He told me to stay because they believe you go to school sick or not. They don't care. It would be one less person they'd have to deal with. Lol.

[♚ The Prince ♚]

My freshman year I missed 16 days, and was tarty every morning. Teachers honestly didn't care too much though.

[``D.uecalione]

In my school, you can't miss more than 9 days per semester. Whether they are are excused or not. If you miss more than 9 excused abscences in one semester, they'll give you a warning, and detention, and extra drug testing its the same with unexcused. And I, generally a sick person (i have a weak immune system) I never miss less than 9 days a semester. But, because I don't want the punishments they have, if i'm sick and i've missed 9 days, i'll go to school sick.

That's one of the reasons why i'm transferring schools. Now, if someone had a death in the family,.such as the mother, it can take up to ten days for them to be back at school. My school is generous to that. That is the only excuse they will write off.

One of my close friend's mother died, and so she was absent for 12 days. The emotional instability is a big factor in things. People just can't go to school two days after the death of their parent and not break down and scream at everyone until they passed out. That's happened before as well at my school. They need time to gain.a good hold of themselves and actually be able to handle a regular school day.