What can I do about a school sending home letters about unexcused absensces when I know for a fact that I called because I make sure to do it every single time? They are trying to make me come in for a 2 hour meeting on why it is important for them to be in school because they missed one day in september, one day in october and then a day in december…literally 3 days “unexcused” when I know I called…this school is known for doing this…and the day in december was actually excused by a doctor…they are really getting on my nerves with this…it isnt like they missed 10 days -_-…
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Unexcused typically means without a doctors note. Tell them you aren’t interested in the meeting or sharing nasty germs when your kiddo is sick!
My son got hit with “unexcused warning” letter too. I simply said “so he was out for a week, extremely sick, and so was his teacher! He was sneezing and coughing with a VERY runny nose. Would you have preferred he come to class like that and sleep the day away at school?”
We did have a doctors note but I went petty and turned it in at the end of the following week.
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I got the letter from my child’s school and I told them I don’t take my child to the doctor for every little sniffle or stomach ache. Healthcare workers have more important things to deal with than a sniffle
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My sons school sent me a letter that they were going to turn me in to childrens service because my son had missed 3 weeks of school. He was in the hospital and his teacher had visited him! I think they just look for problems to report.
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This is nuts!! I’m in Canada and schools do not come after us like this! Especially considering the ongoing pandemic. These comments are ludicrous! I have never ever dreamt of sending a doctors note to my kid’s schools. If I call and excuse my child’s absence, then it’s excused. Period.
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Unexcused means no doctor’s excuse typically.
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Our school is bad about this as well. If they don’t go to school we get a phone call. In the handbook it says that absences can neither be excused or unexcused. So, I don’t answer the phone to explain, it’s none of their business if they aren’t going to accept my reason.
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They are OUR children, if we choose to keep them out if they are sick or an emergency, it’s none of their business, but a child not showing up and they think something bad is happening then they need to get involved and help the child, missing a couple of days shouldn’t matter.
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That’s insane. If they are sick they are sick. I don’t send my kid when she’s sick but usually we go to the dr or clinic. She’s missed 7 days this year due to sickness. I told the school like I don’t wana be home w a whiney kid but yet when I tested positive for covid they said bring her on in🤷🏼♀️
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Unexcused is usually when you don’t have a doctor’s note. At my daughter’s school of you have no doctors note or paper from a funeral it’s unexcused.
This is one of the many reasons I pulled my daughter out of public school and put her in homeschool
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Yup I got a call from T,O, told them I was not sending my son to school sick and I wasn’t running him to the Dr for every fever just to get a note my son was out 4eks extremely sick 6 missed days that was unexcused first time sick missing school in 3yrs straight A student even when he missed school he Heald a A average. Leave us alone my son is sick he stays home get over it. 3 days later school sends out emails that they will now except emails to school email as a excuse 
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Who’s child is it? You are the parent you feel the child needs to stay home and call. In my opinion that is excused. They are untitled to a reason such as fever, flu symptoms etc but other than that go to the meeting and tell them your responsibility to your child.
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In writing is always best. I always use the parent square when they text about absence and automatically send a note back. Good luck momma 
Which country is this in? Never heard of it in Australia!
The school I work at says unexcused absences are because they didn’t receive a written note from the parents. I call the school the day of and the next day that the go back to school I send them with a note from me.
They don’t want the kids to miss any school. Even if you call they basically want them to come to school sick. They can send you to truancy court or contact child services. It gets to the point where you just have to send them to school sick to show they were there. Let them go to the nurse or bring them to the nurse in the morning and let them decide.
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My son got a letter stating he has missed over 35 days of school. My son is always in school unless he has appointment and if their school going on I send him back. The schools don’t know crap. Lol. I swear they get kids mixed up. They are good for that.
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In our district we can’t just call, they call us if we dibt call but we also need to send in a doctor’s note or a note from us… I also keep keep track of when my kids miss &why for back up if anything comes up
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My step daughter has been to school all of 12 days since September 
Wish our schools cared here.
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They get paid for everyday a child is in school. When a child misses a day they lose that days worth of funding. That’s why they push so hard for kids to attend otherwise they lose money. Part of the reason homeschooling has grown in popularity recently. My son missed 19 days because he kept getting extremely sick.(High Fevers, upper respiratory infections, influenza, covid and a lot of vomiting). Had Dr notes everytime even though they were not required. But the absences were still unexcused. Anything over 10 gets forwarded to truancy court. It’s ridiculous and part of the reason we considered homeschooling.
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That’s a bit ridiculous. Dr doesn’t even want you to bring child in half the time unless they have fever for few days so how could you get Dr note just for 1 day in 3 different months. That’s a bit extreme
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Parents really need to start standing up to the schools. They are our children and parents do know what’s best for their kids. My kids school tried this too. I can understand excessive truancy but a few days isn’t truancy that’s ridiculous.
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Wow. This makes me grateful. All I have to do is call during the day and let them know and they excuse the absence. They’ve never given me issues. I didn’t know some schools were that bad 
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Our schools have started sending out these letters also.
It honestly might be very much like my work for unexcused. The only was ours are excused if its approved before the day plus a note from the doctor. Even with a doctor note if it wasn’t approved before then its unexcused. Even if my work sent me to a doctor (like I got a fever at work) that day its unexcused.
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We don’t have laws about absence. I think if the school thought it was out of hand they’d speak to the parents. I always told my daughter that she had to go to school and if by 10h00 she was still feeling sick I would fetch her. They did the attendance register before 08h00 so if you needed to leave after that it didn’t matter.
Our schools are the opposite. They want you to keep your child home if they aren’t well. All you have to do is call and they are grateful you didn’t send your child to school sick.
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Dealing with this also. I have a kiddo who will get random fevers for any amount of time… could be a day long or 5 days so she has missed so much school between that & her surgery. Yet the second a fever hits at school I have to come pick up ASAP. I have always called or emailed the teacher to let her know immediately in the morning… however I don’t take my kid to the doctor for every little thing so our “unexcused” absences are because she doesn’t have a doctors note for every single one.
Even if you call you have to send a note. That’s how it is with the school that my kids go to. We get a phone call if our kid doesn’t go to school as well.
Unexcused, in my experience and in my area, usually meant the excuse didn’t meet the district’s criteria to be qualified for an excused absence. We came home extremely late the day before school started after Thanksgiving break and I called my kid out the next day and I was told sorry but we can’t excuse the absence for that reason so it will be marked unexcused. If they’re sick, after the 3rd day, a Drs note is required to excuse after day 3. I would be looking into your district’s policy.
Teacher here. Excused requires a doctors note. Even if you call and say they are sick, it will be unexcused unless there is a note. Also, more than 2 absences a month is considered chronic absenteeism in our state.
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This seems crazy to me. Canadian girl here and my daughter is in JK. She literally missed a week of school because she had a fever and it’s their rule not to send them unless they’ve been fever free for at least 24hrs. No drs note. I just goto an app and say that she’s not going to be there because she’s sick. Yes they stress attendance is important. But your schools seem over the top. Calling CAS, making you come in for meetings and requiring drs notes.
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Send a signed note in every time and take a picture of it. If it’s too many they can actually get the law involved. So I’d send it writing and make sure you have a picture or record yourself calling each time
They made me go to court when my daughter was in the hospital because I wouldn’t leave her to take them their damn excuses
it’s bullshit if you ask me… The school administration is just worried about funding, that’s what it boils down to. I get that kids missing a ton of school for no reason could be a sign of neglect but I also think schools should use common sense and more flexibility when it comes to extenuating circumstances…
2 unexcused absences. Most schools only consider it excused with a doctors note. But a meeting for 2 is excessive. There’s no rule saying you have to agree to a meeting 
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Make sure you email the school and teacher and possibly text them too. Make a copy or take a photo on your phone of the doctor’s excuse. The doctor’s office may have a copy too. This way in addition to a call you have a paper trail for proof.
Send a kid with a note to school for being gone with the date they were gone and the date you sent the note . make a copy and keep the copy.
If you didn’t provide a doctors note they call it unexcused. They get paid by the state if you provide a Dr notw
Calling unfortunately doesn’t excuse the absence in most schools. They have to have a Dr note or a death in their family for it to be counted as excused.
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We have to send in an actual note
What is the school gets money for every child that shows up
Some schools don’t even count doctors notes as a excused absence 
Just send/ email them a note explaining the reason of every absence, and tell them that you have not interest in attending a two hour meeting, tell them to stop harassing you you will take other actions.
You have to send a written note in so they have a paper trail
You can write an excuse at anytime. Just send in a written excuse for the days that where missed.
Call and follow it up with a written note when they return. It’s not a big deal.
Go to the meeting with your documents. Done.
You need to send in an email to the teacher/principal paper trail always… cyob.
Don’t you have to send notes so they are on record.
Email excuse so you always have a record.
This is why I’m glad we get emails. That way I can reply to the email and have proof.
To have an excused absence you need a doctors note!
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In our school district, even a doctors note is an unexcused absence. It is ridiculous anymore. Anything for the schools to get money. They don’t care about the kids health. Covid? Excused for 5 days. The flu test is positive? Unexcused absence: it’s so stupid!
You can call them out but you still have to send in a note for their records. Otherwise they won’t excuse it. I called mine out one day last week, it stopped the call and let them know but they still needed a note. A phone call doesn’t prove anything. You see what I’m saying. You can say you called bit they can say you didn’t. So it’s not true. Stop calling and try sending an email excusing your child due to a medical condition to the teacher, attendance team &/or main office, while you’re at it, why not even send a cc over to the prince too, that way it’s on record for now on and everybody is on the same page. Three latest equal an unexcused absence too. Maybe it has nothing to even do with you calling or not or your hold home or not. She could simply getting to class late and you not know it. Talk to your kid.
First go get another doctor’s excuse. I fought back when this happened because it honestly wasn’t my fault. In the end the school admitted to making mistakes. Don’t back down or let them bully you. They’ll try hard to make you responsible. Tell them you’ll be recording calls( if legal in your state) when you call in to report an absence since they’re unable to keep correct records of phone calls. Also tell them you’ll be following up with an email to report the absence and will be keeping an online record and hard copies of each email. Don’t back down from your stance that you called. Don’t let them bully you. They will if you give them the opportunity. If possible get phone records for the days in question. I bombarded them with all the CORRECT info and they had to back down because I proved they were in the wrong.
State info would be helpful. They all have different rules. Do they send attendance warnings/info via email? If so I would be submitting the absence info via email so you have proof anytime you need it that you submitted an excuse or doctors note.
YOU calling doesn’t excuse them 
Unexcused means no valid reason, such as a doctor’s appointment, funeral, or documented illness or injury
Ours requires a written note parent or doctor within 5 days of absence to be considered excused. Just calling the absence in doesn’t count. From now on I’d send in written notice the day after the absence and take a picture or printed copy of the notice for proof.
They can either accept you excusing them or you can pull them and they lose their money. That’s all they Care about, more attendance more money
calling the school does not make it an excuse absences. you usually need a doctors note for it to be excused.
I hate this. First off I don’t know about everyone else but 1 I’m not sending my sick kid to school 2 I don’t take my kids to the doctors office every time they are sick just to get a note to “excuse” their absence. The bs of needing a “professionals” what permission for YOUR kid to be absent is ridiculous.
They get paid for every head that comes thru that door for class!!!
You have to send in an actual doctors not in order for it to be excused. Calling in doesn’t mean they will excuse the absence.
This pisses me off. Last year and year before kid was sick with whatever they sent them home to quarantine for 10 to 14 days. Now they want them there while sick spread covid, Influenza A or B.
Even though you call always send a written note next school day…snap a pic to save as proof…preferably the schools want drs notes…at least in our town.
Get another Dr note for the day he was there, take a pic make a copy what ever works, tell them you are writing down all phone calls you make going forward and if this becomes a issue again you will sue for gross negligence of proper records keeping, silly I know it will get your point across,
Most schools only allow so many unexcused absences per semester.
Once you exceed the amount of unexcused absences then your child’s absences need to be excused.
In order to be considered excused there needs to be some sort of documentation (like a doctor’s note) as proof that your child truly was unable to attend school.
So this year…my oldest has two unexcused absences: he had a low grade fever and headache one day. Then he had surgery in October 5 hours from home…we went up a Day early. Then his surgery day and the following Monday were excused.
Your best bet at this point is to do the meet with the school And explain that you didn’t understand that in order to be excused you needed documentation.
Edit
Some letters do come out automatically. I got one back in November. They do come across kind of scary, but it’s just to remind parents of the policy and where their kid is at. So I knew if my son missed school again I needed a note.
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Just because you called doesn’t mean it’s excused. An excused absence generally requires a doctor’s note.
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If you called on your cell phone it will still be in your call log for that day. Problem solved.
So go with the meeting. Screenshot all the calls. Don’t let them push you around. There’s a school district here that is known for that and people are finally taking a stand to stop
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from now on get the name of the person and let them know you are writing down the name and time that you called them
Don’t call always send an email ,that way you have proof of why they were absent and that you told them x
it’s not like the kids are at work missing out on money , & the school is missing out on money cause they arnt there like what 
You said you called but did you send a note back with your child when they returned?
If my kid has a fever they don’t go… it’s that simple. If it’s just a cold those seem to last forever so I medicate and send… just tell school you know of the 24 hour fever free with out pain med policy.
My child misses at least 6 days when he is sick. If the school said anything to me I’d let them know I’m not sending my extremely sick child to school to get everyone else sick!!! These schools are why sickness stays in the classroom.
Depending on District policy and state laws schools have to prove they kept parents aware of absences. Yes schools get funding based on average daily attendance n they steps they took to keep their attendance at or above a certain percentage each day. While I read this thread n it appears to me that this upsets people I’d like to offer a sample explanation. I work with a district whose overall daily attendance percentage went down 2 percentage points for the 21-22 school year. The funding they lost cost them 2 teachers and 1 in classroom aide.
Unexcused just means there was no note sent in. You call in the am to say they’re not coming but you still have to send a written excuse. I know for sure it is in every schools handbook. Parents should read them… You don’t have to have a Dr note for the absenceto b excused either. You just have to send in a note the next day they go back that goes something like this:
To whom it may concern/
Attendance,
Please excuse Childs name for being absent/late on DATE. They were home sick with a stomach bug, headache, fever, or what the reason may have been.
Thank you
Parent
That’s literally how easy it is.
Same here I called the agreed absents we’re excused but the could only have 14 some of them were doctor excused some me sending a note but they said any more absents requires a doctors slip it’s PA law. So 2x’ s now the nurse sent her home and had to take her to the doctor for a headache and upset stomach which could of been handled at home. They are the ones that sent her home.
Idk if all schools do it, but my kids school lets you do parent notes for days they miss and they don’t go to a doctor. I think they only allow 5 though.
Always email the school don’t just call. This creates a paper trail and protects you from truancy charges from the state.
Sincerely,
a special needs mom who has been fighting for rights not to be violated in school for over 10 years.
It’s just procedure. I don’t understand why people get so bent out of shape about this stuff and take it so personal. The district must have an attendance policy. Every student that misses such amount of days gets the letter. If you are a good parent and your kid is honesty sick then o well, you did the right thing by keeping them home. If this student is being neglected or abused at home then this is a first step in finding out. Shitty parents make their kids stay home to watch younger kids bc they are all strung out or keeps kids home bc they beat them and don’t want anyone to see the bruises. Haven’t y’all watched the Gabriel Fernandez trials? This stuff is real and happens in every school, every day!
The fact that a parent has to argue with a school about their own kids staying home is absolutely ridiculous
My daughters school requires a note. Even if you call you must send a note in. That’s probably what the issue is. Just go in and talk to them and see if that’s what is causing the issue.
This happened to us email them and say please excuse so-and-so for the dates listed below. They were sick and then they will fix them all
All my childs absences have been excused but apparently her school doesnt have " excused absences " so excuse or not her days count against her
This must be the US? In Canada all we have to do is call the school.
Oh our schools also call after school to see where your child is if you don’t call them off of school sick.
When my kids don’t go to school I call and send a note if they have to leave early for dr…apt come back from Dr. That day or not I send Dr. Excuse. Our school kinda mark excused or unexcused note or no note .now our schools will go after if kids miss large amounts and take families to court for not being in school .but not go after for 3 different days 3 different months.not like it was 3 days in a row.
Get a drs note for the day missed. And in the future, ask for a note before leaving the Drs office and put the other excuses in writing.
Tell them straight you ain’t attending no 2 hour meeting problem solved
Happen to me and was threatened with jail if they missed any more days…both my littles went to school together or stayed home together regardless .They had the missed days all jacked up, saying one was there but the other one wasnt stuff like that, glad thats over with
I have three in school and I got a threatening note for 10 missed days from them that I need to attend a counseling meeting. My kids had flu A twice and the schools were provided phone calls and notes from the dr being excused. I don’t have time to miss works and be counseled because my kids were sick I’ve missed enough work. I ignored the letter 