A Little Rant

A Little Rant:
Stepping away from the Challenges

Today I am going to go on a little rant about Texas public schools.

As I mentioned before, Bunny has been sick. A vague kind of sick with symptoms but not fever that has the doctors confused and concerned. She has had a lot of tests and will have more. Thursday she had her second biopsy where they removed her adenoids and sliced and diced them and sent them off to pathology. The doctor is doing this in hopes of finding out why her lymph nodes are so swollen.

Waiting for surgery.

I can guarantee you that she would prefer being in class.

No. 1 suspect is lymphoma and at this point their goal is to prove she doesn't have it.

Let's all root for the doctors.

Now, Bunny is in High School and the Great State of Texas takes attendance VERY seriously.
Here is the State's stance on attendance:

Texas Education Code (25.095) WARNING NOTICES. A school district shall notify a student’s parent in writing at the beginning of the school year that if the student is absent from school on 10 or more days or parts of days within a six- month period in the same school year or on three or more days or parts of days within a four-week period that the student’s parent and/or student is subject to prosecution. 


That red highlighting is mine.  "subject to prosecution."    Really.

When Bunny hit 8 absences I got a letter.

" Should your child exceed the maximum allowable absences they will not receive credit for the course. ....
Students may appeal the denial of credit through the Attendance Review Committee that will meet at the conclusion of the school year. Students will not have the opportunity to do make up hours."

The bold writing above is NOT mine. The school printed the letter that way.

Ok, I get it. They want her at school and she should attend.

But she really has been sick, she may actually have cancer and she has been exhausted. I assure you this child is not choosing to be sick, tired or absent. She goes half days when she can and goes when she is tired only to come home early.
The attendance lady has given up trying to convince me that if I just ignore her pleas to be picked up, she will "feel better" and make it through the day.  I think she realized I was just about to go postal on her.

And I do have many, many doctor's notes to verify many of these visits and tests. But there are also plenty of days where it is just my word that she cannot keep her eyes open. So we will have to go to a review committee to decide whether my child will get credit for the classes she has taken this year.

Here's my complaint.

She is passing all of her classes. The majority of days she has missed have been non-teaching days where the kids were taking state testing. She is caught up with her work and learning her subjects.  This has nothing to do with whether she is learning anything and everything to do with state funding.  If she isn't in school, the school does not get paid by the state.

AND here is where I kind of lose my patience.

IF you are a pregnant teen then you may get a note from your doctor allowing you to take a leave. The school then sends a home bound teacher to you so that you can continue your studies.
There is a girl at Bunny's school that just came back from a one month maternity leave and is back attending part time. All with the school's blessing and assistance.

This is NOT my child. 

Bunny could probably get a leave of absence approved but she WANTS to go to school and she is keeping up and passing her classes- including her two Pre-AP classes. I might also point out that she is not requiring a special teacher to come to the house to teach her. (I assume that means she is not costing the district additional monies.)


And because of that I am subject to prosecution.
And she will not receive credit for her courses.

Really?