"Vicki" wrote in message
news
Today we received a warning letter for truancy for our 2nd grader. The
principal said she was concerned about dd's absences. I am not concerned
about dd's absences--she is bright, she knows the material [she's missed
five days this month, but received 100 on her test for materials covered.]
I don't think the teacher is concerned. But the principal said dd is only
allowed 5 excused absences per semester.

I'm not happy about the possibility of legal sanctions for keeping dd home
(she was sick this month, but I wouldn't hesitate to take her out of
school
for other things we feel are important.) Can they prosecute us for
truancy
when dd is top of her class? I don't see the harm to anyone in dd not
going. And she *will* miss more school at Thanksgiving (important family
time.)


I'm not sure if you are talking about US public schools (actually I'm going
with
US schools, since you mention Thanksgiving coming up) and I'm not sure
about the state. But if your child were in a state where the schools work
like they do here in California, your principal is stuck between a rock and
a hard place. If your child has more than 5 excused absenses in a
semester the state quits paying the per diem for your child for the days she
isn't there. If that adds up to quite a few day, they need to cut their
budget
to account for that missed income. The state requires they file for truency
to get the missed money.

We had planned to talk at school conferences about keeping dd home one day
per week, or bi-weekly, to enhance her education. But from what I've read
about truancy laws tonight, this doesn't seem to be allowable. Has anyone
done this or know if it is doable?

dd does not want to homeschool full-time--she likes seeing her friends at
school and we think this is good for her. We have discussed getting
appropriate challenge in her classroom--the teacher has been helpful, but
there is only so much she can do. We chose not to skip dd to the next
grade
as she is already the youngest in her class.

Have others faced this truancy problem? How do you approach it? If this
is
a law (5 days/semester,) does the principal have much leeway in enforcing
it? If not, then who do we talk with? The DA? Is it possible to
homeschool part-time (the days dd misses) and avoid a truancy enforcement?
Could we test out of second grade and attendance be optional?

I'm not sure about the homeschooling part-time, I've seen waivers for PE
for elite athletes, so there is some flexibility, but I'm not sure how much.
Certainly at the local school if you plan on traveling during the school
year they can give work for completion during the trip that allows them
to get the per diem funding. As for testing out of second grade, I'm
betting you could test out of second grade, but then why would the
state want to pay for your child attending?

dh is calling the principal next week, and we will meet with dd's teacher
in
three weeks. I'd like to have a sense of our options before we go so we
do
what's right by dd and cause the least distress to her teacher and
principal
(who are quite nice.) Any help would be greatly appreciated.

They are looking at it from two perspectives, how can I best meet the
educational needs of this child, and how can I make it so I can pay
people to best meet the educational needs of this child. If you move
her to private school the second part of the equation goes away. If
your child is hitting her educational milestones, private schools can
give much more leeway. Since you are paying tuition no matter
how many days your daughter attends school they don't have
to worry about cutting programs if you decide to spend interesting
time elsewhere with her. This is why actors, politicians, and others
with the means who tend to pull their kids out for extended periods
during the school year tend to put their kids in private schools.
Even if the public schools are wonderful, they don't have the financial
leeway private school have when it comes to funding.

For someone like yourself looking for maximum flexibility when
it comes to attendance, yet no worries about whether your child
can keep up, I'd highly recommend private schools where funding
is dropped from the equation.

Thank you.
Vicki