My 14y/o will miss a lot of school b/c of an injury, any suggestions on how to handle school?
She would have started high school last monday but because of her injury and surgery she didn’t start with her fellow classmates. She tried to go a 1/2 day but it ended up a disaster. She was in so much pain, the school is so large and over crowded she couldn’t get around on crutches, people were bumping into her, not to mention she is on narcotic pain meds and is out of it anyway. I really don’t think it is a good idea that she return to school anytime soon. The problem is the councelors at the school are calling me and telling me she has to be back by monday or she won’t get credit for her classes. Then I get a call from the attendance office saying they need a dr’s note to excuse her from all of her missed days. OK, not a problem, but do they think she put a brace on her leg, bought crutches and dropped out of high school soccer for an ENTIRE YEAR just for the hell of it? Not to mention I have already called the attendance office telling them she wouldn’t be at school the rest of the week. I even requested and picked up all of her work for that week. So why are they calling me and bugging me? It’s not just the calling, they are RUDE about it all, like we’ve done something wrong.
Anyway, if I could I would completely take her out and homeschool her, but since I am divorced and my ex has to agree with what I do here, I am wondering if there is another option…maybe she can just continue to do her work at home until she is well enough to walk the long hallways at her high school and get around comfortably. Who knows, she might be out 2-3 months. She certainly can not return to sports for at least 12 months if at all. The complete recovery takes a full 12 months.
Anyone ever have a child out of school for an extended period of time? How did you handle the school and the school work?
Have you tried explaining the problem to your ex? Surely, he’d be willing to agree to go along with homeschooling under such circumstances?
If not, the school should have some kind of "homebound" program that she can participate in. You’ll probably have to show the documentation from a doctor, but then the school will be obligated to provide a teacher who’ll come out each week and help her keep up with lessons until she’s able to go back to the classroom.
People working in schools are bureaucrats. They are asking for documentation because they need copies of something to file in the appropriate files so that they don’t get in trouble if their files are audited. Bureaucrats often forget to be considerate of people dealing with crises because they focus too much on paperwork…. So, just get the doctor to write up something indicating that she’ll be unable to attend classes for at least a couple of months, until further notice, and either take steps to homeschool her or get the school to provide homebound instruction for her.
Good luck.
October 14th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Your school system should have a policy dealing with problems like this. I live near Philadelphia and I know the school system my two sons go to would let me hire tutor or make arrangements for on-line classes.
Of course being in Pennsylvania helps because a relatively large percentage of families home school and that seem to make school boards flexible. We also have plenty of charter schools to choose from. Around here nothing puts fear in the heart of a school principal like threatening to enroll kid in a charter school.
Maybe here you need to talk to the members of your local school board. Since they are elected officials the last thing they want is trouble with a voter.
I knew of one local family who had a problem with school policies (I believe it was with the sex-ed class). They went to a school board meeting with a couple dozen friends and said we want the policy changed or they would take revenge in the next election. That seem to work. It doesn’t hurt either to contact the local newspaper and TV news station. Nobody likes to look bad on TV or in the papers.
Actually where are you? If your child is on crutches and taking serious pain medications I can’t see why they would want your child in school at all. The school would be taking on a lot of legal liabilities by demanding that she physically attend classes. I’d hate to think of the law suits if your child should slip and fall or have her medications stolen.
References :
October 14th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Have you tried explaining the problem to your ex? Surely, he’d be willing to agree to go along with homeschooling under such circumstances?
If not, the school should have some kind of "homebound" program that she can participate in. You’ll probably have to show the documentation from a doctor, but then the school will be obligated to provide a teacher who’ll come out each week and help her keep up with lessons until she’s able to go back to the classroom.
People working in schools are bureaucrats. They are asking for documentation because they need copies of something to file in the appropriate files so that they don’t get in trouble if their files are audited. Bureaucrats often forget to be considerate of people dealing with crises because they focus too much on paperwork…. So, just get the doctor to write up something indicating that she’ll be unable to attend classes for at least a couple of months, until further notice, and either take steps to homeschool her or get the school to provide homebound instruction for her.
Good luck.
References :