School the day before Thanksgiving

[Lumpy1106]

Senior skip - yes. Last grades for college were recorded in June. Who knows? Could be a fun day to attend. Maybe sell your senior on the time with their HS friends is coming to an end so take advantage all you can. They'll probably counter with their friends are skipping too. I certainly wouldn't send them for the sole purpose of boosting the school attendance so they can get funds.

 

[tvguy]

No, I would not let them stay home. That's a truancy. Not an issue here as the public schools are out the entire week.
So much has changed since I was in school, the school year has fewer days. 180 and that includes many minimum days. We had to go 190.
What's changed:
>Schools here take Thanksgiving week off, instead of just Thanksgiving and the day after when I was in school.
>EVERY Thursday is a half day for teach prep. We only had 4 minimum days when I was in school, the last day of each quarter for teacher prep.
> Public schools take President's day week off, not just President's day.
> One school district here takes the week before and after Easter for Easter break. We just got the week before.

 

[anniemae]

In HS the day before Christmas break was a half day where we had homeroom and then they showed Loony Tunes cartoons in the "Student Union" (central lobby). I didn't want to skip--I wanted to go hang out with my friends and watch cartoons!

This is how I felt when I was in HS. I loved the day before break. We watched movies, had pizza parties etc. The teachers were so chill and it was a fun day.

 

[anniemae]

No, I would not let them stay home. That's a truancy. Not an issue here as the public schools are out the entire week.
So much has changed since I was in school, the school year has fewer days. 180 and that includes many minimum days. We had to go 190.
What's changed:
>Schools here take Thanksgiving week off, instead of just Thanksgiving and the day after when I was in school.
>EVERY Thursday is a half day for teach prep. We only had 4 minimum days when I was in school, the last day of each quarter for teacher prep.
> Public schools take President's day week off, not just President's day.
> One school district here takes the week before and after Easter for Easter break. We just got the week before.

I can understand this. If she does not go in, I have to call the school to report the absence. It will be an unexcused absence since it technically is a school day and not an optional activity type of thing, like an after school football game.

 

[BrianL]

This is how I felt when I was in HS. I loved the day before break. We watched movies, had pizza parties etc. The teachers were so chill and it was a fun day.

Yeah, that's kind of how it was for me. These were the days that I wanted to be at school. In elementary school they whould show movies, etc. In HS it was usually light and fun, even if it was just regular classes. Easy day!

 

[china mom]

It seems a bit late in the game to "let" or "not let" your hs senior do anything school-related. I would hope that by halfway through senior year, she knows the school's policies and her own workload, and is capable of deciding whether she needs to be in a school on a particular day or not.

Funny you say that. The other day, DD missed school and I was writing her note and though "she can write her own darn note, she's 18." I didn't do it but I wonder what the school would have done if she had written her own note.

 

[kdonnel]

No, I would not let them stay home. That's a truancy.

I guess you never took a day off from work, just because.

I know I have and I consider school the equivalent of kids jobs.

I also highly doubt that a single unexcused absence is truancy. In Georgia the legal definition is 5 unexcused absences in a school year.

I would have no problems sending in a note excusing the absence. One of the allowed excuses is more or less a mental health day.

 

[china mom]

I guess you never took a day off from work, just because.

I know I have and I consider school the equivalent of kids jobs.

I also highly doubt that a single unexcused absence is truancy. In Georgia the legal definition is 5 unexcused absences in a school year.

I would have no problems sending in a note excusing the absence. One of the allowed excuses is more or less a mental health day.

that is pretty strict compared to Maryland

Which Students Are Truant?​

Under Maryland law, a truant student is one who is “unlawfully absent” from school for more than:

• 8 days in any quarter,
• 15 days in any semester, OR
• 20 days in a school year.

 

[Meriweather]

no school here tomorrow.

If nothing important is going on, let them skip

 

[soccerdad72]

Eh, that was the type of day (or half day, in the OP's case) where I had no issue calling or e-mailing the attendance office and saying my son was 'sick' that morning.

 

[sam_gordon]

I guess you never took a day off from work, just because.

I never did.

As far as the subject at hand, I would say "It's your choice. If there are any consequences, own up to them (might want to find out if there are any ahead of time). Personally, I would go, but you're old enough to make your own decisions. I won't write you an excuse letter."

 

[SteveH]

After how schools treated kids during COVID I'd LMAO at any school employee that even mentioned the word truancy.

Do what is right for your child, are are the PARENT, not the school.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

After how schools treated kids during COVID I'd LMAO at any school employee that even mentioned the word truancy.

Do what is right for your child, are are the PARENT, not the school.

I'm pretty sure not going to school the day before the break is not an appropriate situation to bring up doing what is right for your child nor related to anything that occurred during the pandemic.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Would I have asked my mom to skip in this situation? No because as much as it would be like it's also an easy half day at school and TBH that's not worth skipping out on. If you're going to want to get out of school just because pick a different day

 

[AppleDumpling]

I liked going in those days, as did my child. Not saying it’s terrible to skip, but in general, we are rule followers.

 

[Kestryl]

As long as they're not missing anything. Every now and then you get a bitter teacher that insists on having a test or critical assignment due right before a holiday break.

Meet my husband, ha. His current district has tomorrow off, but he is the type who actually teaches and has work to do on days before breaks. (He teaches high school math, so maybe they’re all sadistic like that.)

 

[TheIncredibles!]

I am a huge fan of not wasting my kid's time with what I consider to be "fluff days". In the past if they have asked to not go I always said yes. They have not always asked though as some of those days are actually a fun school day they looked forward to.

 

[tvguy]

I guess you never took a day off from work, just because.

I know I have and I consider school the equivalent of kids jobs.

I also highly doubt that a single unexcused absence is truancy. In Georgia the legal definition is 5 unexcused absences in a school year.

I would have no problems sending in a note excusing the absence. One of the allowed excuses is more or less a mental health day.

You are correct. I never took off a day just because in 42 years. Nor did my wife.
As for my kids, we some how managed to juggle all their Doctor, Dentist and Orthodontist without missing a minute of school. But with all the days off they had, it wasn't difficult.
Technically, a truancy in California is missing more than 30 minutes of class three times in the school year.

 

[slo]

I would 100% let them stay home if they wanted. I was never a mom that forced my girls to have perfect attendance. I will say that I was a little more strict with my oldest since school was a little harder for her, but with my youngest, that was not an issue.

 

[Moliphino]

Meet my husband, ha. His current district has tomorrow off, but he is the type who actually teaches and has work to do on days before breaks. (He teaches high school math, so maybe they’re all sadistic like that.)

I had a high school math teacher who still made us take a quiz in the afternoon on 9/11.