Ross has already pointed out that snow make-up days are to be held the Monday and Tuesday of Spring Break which means that Spring Break (at least this year) will not be a full week long. I would think that because of the change to the schedule this year, there will be more than a few families travel plans affected.
Families who had made plans to be away during that week will now have to fill out an Absence for Educational Field Trip Affidavit. I have no problem filling out a form in advance (10 days minimum) to let the school/teachers know if/when my children are going to absent. We have family on the West Coast so we usually make a trip back once a year. My problem with the form is that the district requires it to be notarized.
There is no good reason that this form needs to be notarized. A parent's signature is not "good enough"? What is the notary "notarizing"? That your children are your children? To explain this in legal terms, this requirement is "arbitrary and capricious".
No other district (that I know of) requires notarization of an absence form. I have several friends who are teachers in other districts and they actually laughed when I told them of this requirement. I remember a few years back, we travelled during the week of Thanksgiving so I actually went through the motions to get the form properly filled out. The notary was happy to take my money but thought the whole thing silly - she had never even heard of anything like it.
The absence(s) are still considered "excused" so why should people use their time and money to get this form notarized? Parents should save their time and money by calling in their kids sick for days that they are going to miss because the absences are treated just the same. The district is actually penalizing parents who try their best to inform the school in advance if/when their children are going to be absent.
Does anybody else think this requirement is just plain silly?
12 comments:
I thought it was silly as well until it was explained to me that notarization was required to keep kids from forging it...imagine that occurs in the HS level amd it does seem a silly paper chase for the lower levels
Pardon me, but B.S.! I've lived in several other school districts in other states, and I've never been required to have anything notarized! A parent's signature was good enough, and if there were any questions, it was followed up with a phone call.
Another thing I find almost criminally ridiculous in this state is that you have to have your vehicle inspected by the people whom it behooves to find something wrong!
Is it inconvenient? Yes. Does it cost $2.00? Yes. Is it "penalizing" parents? I don't think so.
I see nothing wrong with erring on the side of caution. I do find fault with a parent telling their kid that if they deem a school rule silly, just go ahead and lie instead.
I think you've missed the point(s).
No other district requires notarization.
JMO - What's the difference between writing a note (and having to get it notarized) for a "sick" day vs. a planned vacation day? I would think there is more opportunity to forge a note on a "sick day".
Anon - I'm not suggesting the kids lie. I'm suggesting that the parents save themselves the time and money by just telling the district that the kids were sick instead of going to the trouble of having some stupid form notarized.
It's a stupid "rule". It's abritary and capricious. By trying to inform the school ahead of time (and being involved with your children's education) the district is penalizing you.
Yes it's a penalty. It takes time and money for what? In the end, the absence is counted just the same as if you called your kid in sick that day.
Cynthia: there are lots of instances in school policy that require notarization. Opting out of immunizations comes to mind.
Brad: I think it is a little silly to assume the school district's intent with this rule is to "punish" parents. Is the rule warranted? Probably not. But I don't know the spirit of the rule and I don't think you do either. There may be a larger issue here that none of us are seeing or this may be a vestige of an outdated requirement and needs revision.
BTW, does the school have a notary on staff that you can use for free?
Anonymous, would love to know where you can get a notary stamp for $2. You have obviously not been to one in a while. Try $15, and if you have multiple kids, that times each signature.
This is a joke. I have routinely called my kids in "sick" when on a family vacation. Am I teaching them to lie? No. I am teaching them that some places put BS rules in place that make absolutely no sense and there is a time to throw them aside.
As for the validity of the signature, I have to ask then why don't they have the same policy in place for medication? For those who have had to fill out the form to send meds to school with their kids, there is absolutely no verification or validation that the signature if from a parent.
So, I have to ask, why does this district require a notorized validated signature to pull a kid out of school yet no real validation that the signature on the medication form is real?
NazoRanter, I was wrong, it is $5.00. Here is the link. If you pay more than that, you can file a complaint with the Department of State.
As for the medication issue, your example is quite ridiculous. Last time I checked, prescriptions have the doctor and patient name right on the bottle and I don't imagine the school is overly worried with over-the-counter medications.
The bigger issue here is that I you don't like the policy, contact the school board and try to get it changed. Still, it seems that in today's society, we would rather just label something silly or stupid and ignore it rather than make any attempt in actual change. Maybe by actually trying to get the policy changed, the school district would shed light on it's decision to require the notarization.
This is what public bureaucrats do to feel productive. Public school systems are filled with control freaks. This notarization requirement is utter nonsense.
Here's another: At LNES,
Kids must have an note to go to an after school instruction (Chorus, foreign language, etc.) every single time. Not good enough to sign a single authorization to enroll in the activity, except for sports of course. The permission doesn't have to be notarized, but requiring it makes them feel engaged, relevant, and in control.
An unfortunate, but inevitable, consequence of expecting schools to do more than teach. We reap what we sow, I guess.
The Papier Boy said...
BTW, does the school have a notary on staff that you can use for free?
SHHHH! If he sees your post, Lesky will hire put one of his cronies in every school at 100K each, citing a public outcry for free notary services!
Or, maybe, that is what he bought the Moravian Society building for...
Uh Anonymous, the medication argument is not ridiculous. I know, I have run into it.
The school doesn't care about original packaging and prescription label, only their signed form that a child can take prescription medication. Again, I argued this with the district and they didn't care, they only wanted the signed form.
So, a child get hands on prescription meds, forges the form, and guess what, they can take them at school. Again, there is NO verification, I know this for a fact, they never called to verify with my MD.
Papier Boy-
I don't think this is some nefarious plot by NASD to line the pockets of notaries. I do think however, that this is - as you put it - a vestige of some outdated requirement.
However, I have gone to the district office to ask about this and was told one thing - it was blamed on "some parents" that file shoddy (if any at all) paper work. Then JMO explains that she was told it was to keep kids from forging it.
When I went to the office - the Asst. Sup didn't have an answer for the requirement. She said she didn't know why the notarized signature was required - only that "it had been here since I've been here". She did get back to me the same day with the story about it being a state requirement and you were actually agreeing that you acknowledge the attendence policy. Excuse me? Aren't parents supposed to sign the handbooks at the beginning of the year indicating that you understand the rules? Isn't the attendence policy in the handbook?
Again, this isn't directed at any one person in NASD specifically, just a "dumb" rule that has no purpose.
But I can bet that if I bring it up at the board meeting, nothing will come about it. Most of anything else I (or anyone else) speak about at the board meetings is not really taken that seriously...
I agree, this is very silly. When your child is 18 years old they can vote , sign for student loans and apply for credit. As a parent, they want a notarized form. Someone needs to look at the whole picture and put the it back together.
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