# Does the school have the right to know why your kid was absent? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117 "2012-12-05T20:27:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/61 "2012-12-06T20:42:35Z")
When you’re a kid, going to school IS your job! As noted above, kids have PLENTY of time off! ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/62 "2012-12-06T21:02:07Z")
> [@Vihaga](#): > > Do they not let parents pull their kids out for things like vacations anymore? > > When I was in school, my parents just filled out an “educational trip” form anytime they pulled us out for something, and it was always approved. > I don’t understand why schoolkids don’t get a certain number of “vacation days,” anyway. They’re kids, you’d think they’d need more of a break than employed adults do. They do. They’re the vast number of days the school isn’t in session. This is the policy for the local city schools: > [@](#): > > **Attendances and Excuses** > > The Murfreesboro City Board of Education believes that regular attendance is a necessary requirement of all students and that every child should be included in some phase of the school program. > > All students are expected to attend school on each day that school is officially in session. Excused absences may be granted for the following reasons: > Illness of student (doctor’s statement may be required when illness is frequently given as a reason), > Death or serious illness within the student’s immediate family, > The student is officially representing the school in a school sponsored activity, > Special and recognized religious holidays regularly observed by persons of the student’s faith, > A legal court summons for reasons other than the student’s misconduct, > > Absences other than those outlined above shall be considered unexcused. > > A written statement shall be required from the parent or guardian explaining the reason for each absence. > **Truancy Enforcement** > > The following procedure has been implemented in partnership with the Murfreesboro Police Department and the Juvenile Court, as it pertains to the delivery of unlawful absentee notices, T.C.A. 49-6-3007, Attendance and Truancy Reports, and T.C.A. 49-6-3009, Penalty for Violators: > > Teachers monitor and document attendance; this is reported to the attendance clerk at each school. \*\*The attendance clerk provides an attendance printout to the principal when five days of unexcused absences have occurred. \*\*After consultation with the teacher, the principal may fax this information, using the Written Notice of Unlawful Absences, to the Criminal Investigating Officer at the Police Department. The notice is then hand-delivered by an officer to the parent/guardian, and the parent/guardian is notified that they must contact the school principal. Absences continue to be monitored, and if there is no improvement in attendance, a second notice is issued. If the problem persists, a petition may be filed by the principal. **Upon issuance of such warrant, a third request is faxed to the Police Department indicating that the warrant is ready to be served to the parent/guardian.** > > This procedure is considered a pro-active approach to truancy violations. When children are in school, they can be taught, and are less likely to become involved in activities that are counterproductive to their future. If you chose not to attend your job, do you think your boss is being a Nazi by asking you to preschedule vacation time or to call in when you’re sick? This is what people do. StG ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/63 "2012-12-06T21:54:32Z")
> [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > As for pulling kids out of school for trips, yes it’s allowed. You just tell the office ahead of time and it counts as an unexcused absence. It depends on state law and/or school or school district policy. In some cases “educational absences” can be excused - so if you write up that you are going to France where your child will learn about French culture and geography - and make them write a report on France, they can have that excused. Other places its always unexcused, and just a few unexcused absences will be checked out by someone. Some places its excused as long as mom or dad write a note and the principal or some other administration official approves. And this often varies by grade - in grade school the approvals are often much easier than in high school. There is a LOT of variation in this across the country - from “no big deal” to “you’ll be following up with a social worker.” So check it out before you pull your kid. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/64 "2012-12-06T21:59:24Z")
Nobody is talking about occasions where the school has not been notified. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/65 "2012-12-06T22:02:33Z")
The school district here even excuses one absence a year on the first day of a hunting season. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/66 "2012-12-06T22:57:09Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Nobody is talking about occasions where the school has not been notified. I think you’ve misunderstood the relevant part of **StGermain** ’s post - unexcused absences **may be notified** , they’re just not considered valid reasons for non-attendance (Sickness is valid, ‘Cheaper fares on Friday’ is not). Gather enough of them and there will be consequences. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/67 "2012-12-06T23:01:03Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > If you chose not to attend your job, do you think your boss is being a Nazi by asking you to preschedule vacation time or to call in when you’re sick? This is silly. Are they going to reschedule an assembly or something because they can’t hold it without my son? They’ll lose a big contract because his book report didn’t get turned in? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/68 "2012-12-06T23:07:06Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > The school district here even excuses one absence a year on the first day of a hunting season. We got that day off as a holiday. > [@Dangerosa](#): > > …In some cases “educational absences” can be excused - so if you write up that you are going to France where your child will learn about French culture and geography - and make them write a report on France, they can have that excused… Way back when my family went on a winter vacation in Florida my mother had to agree to mix in visits to musuems & historic sites (I had to turn in a report about those) with visits to Disney World & the beach. I actually loved those, especially the detour to St. Augestine. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/69 "2012-12-07T00:54:33Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > …and then what? He’s not excused, but you let him stay home anyway. What does the school do about it? Put it on your permenant record? His? Yeah, actually, we do. . . .but the important question is still, and then what? So here’s what happens: After you get 4 unexcused absences, you get a stern letter in the mail. That also goes in your permanent record. After you get 7, you get another stern letter, and the social worker is contacted. When it gets to 11 or so unexcused absences, you get a letter saying to call the school or risk a warrant. I’ve never actually seen the warrant go out. Although I did have a mom finally come in for a desperately-needed conference after the social worker told her, “attend the conference, or I’m filing a truancy warrant on you.” Sometimes nervous parents ask me about the unexcused absences. I never say, “Don’t worry about them!” but I do explain that if there are fewer than 4 unexcused absences in a year, they’ll see no effect from them. But the parents that bother to ask aren’t the reasons for the policy. The reason for the policy is the parents who decide that because mom overslept, junior can skip school that day. Those parents aren’t taking the whole idea of compulsory education seriously, and the policy is in place to make them take it seriously. As **Scumpup** suggested, if you dislike this policy, you need to be talking to your state legislators. At least hereabouts, there’s no control over how attendance is gathered at the classroom, school, or even district level. The state tells us the database in which to enter information, and one of the fields we must fill out for any student is the reason for the absence. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/70 "2012-12-07T01:09:47Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > At least hereabouts, there’s no control over how attendance is gathered at the classroom, school, or even district level. The state tells us the database in which to enter information, and one of the fields we must fill out for any student is the reason for the absence. The man is right; and when he’s right, he’s right. One of the quickest ways for a classroom teacher to get in trouble is by not keeping accurate attendance records. District administration is all anal about it because they have the state looking over their shoulders. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/71 "2012-12-07T02:24:00Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > We got that day off as a holiday. > > Way back when my family went on a winter vacation in Florida my mother had to agree to mix in visits to musuems & historic sites (I had to turn in a report about those) with visits to Disney World & the beach. I actually loved those, especially the detour to St. Augestine. My son had to write a report on what he’d seen and it had to be educational and informational. We’d visited NASA near Houston, so he had a lot to write about! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/72 "2012-12-07T02:28:56Z")
> [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > My son had to write a report on what he’d seen and it had to be educational and informational. We’d visited NASA near Houston, so he had a lot to write about! Definitely I love to work with parents on this sort of thing (okay, “love” might be putting it strongly, but if I were less stressed and more energetic I’d love it). If you’re taking your kids on trips and asking the teacher for help getting them educated, you’re going above and beyond compulsory education, and I want to do everything I can to facilitate that. I’m a good teacher, but I’m not a trip to NASA good. So I’ll try to put some assignments around such a trip that are interesting, e.g., -Look at a guidebook with your parents and use it to plan some activities. -Take a couple of pictures, print them out, and write captions for the pictures. -Look at the soil where you’re going. How does it compare with soil in our town? (This is more interesting than you’d think for third-graders). -Buy something with cash. Record how much it costs, how much money you give the store, and how much change you get back. That sort of thing–enough to keep them thinking about academics, but hopefully not so much that they’re stuck doing schoolwork instead of getting some once-in-a-lifetime experiences. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/73 "2012-12-07T16:16:54Z")
Your friend should lighten up and tell the school this information. People should pick their battles. If they were trying to change her child’s religion, that would be undermining her authority. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/75 "2012-12-07T20:54:21Z")
\*\*does the school have a right to know the reason you kept your child home?\*\*Yes (if kiddo is young enough for public school to still be compulsory; or if it’s a private school that feels at risk of suit if they fail to educate the kid adequately they should have a right to thoroughly document attendance so the school can defend itself) **How does wanting to know why undermine a parent’s authority?** It doesn’t, unless you’re a libertarian-esque D-bag who bemoans government interference with personal lives but can’t be arsed to homeschool. \*\*Is Ok, to say they aren’t feeling well, if they’re having a mental health day or if your vacation ran a day long, so the school still gets it’s funding?\*\*If the kid plans on attending the school some more, sure. A day off, extended vacation, or “mental health day” can reasonably be argued as medically necessary, even beneficial toward facilitating education if it prevents burnout. Sometimes you have to do what YOU want. Your friend needs to find another windmill to fight, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117/76 "2012-12-08T01:06:45Z")
I wonder if it’s easier to catch kids forging notes if they require a reason. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-school-have-the-right-to-know-why-your-kid-was-absent/643117.md?page=3)