Tennessee school won't accept doctor's notes for absences

[Jilly_in_VA]

One Tennessee school district will no longer accept doctors’ notes to excuse an absence despite objections from parents.

Lawrence County School System officials said the school is instituting the policy to teach students work ethic and reliability, saying that students will be expected to go to work sick or injured as adults.

It is also intended to address chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of instructional time. In the 2023-2024 school year, Lawrence County had a 14% rate of chronic absenteeism.

With no federally mandated sick leave, many Americans do go to work when sick, but public health officials advise against it. Staying home when sick can reduce the spread of viruses like the flu and COVID-19 and protect vulnerable people in the community.

The new attendance policy says students will simply be marked absent or present, with no options for doctors to verify a child is absent because they are sick or injured, need to stay home to recover or to prevent spreading contagious illnesses to their classmates.


https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/mid-south/tennessee-school-doctors-note-policy/?utm_campaign=NewsNation-trending-now&utm_source=wric.com&utm_medium=newsnation-cross-brand

Not only that, but if they get sick at school, they get sent to the nurse's office and then home and marked "tardy". Three tardies - one absence. This is the wrong way to address chronic absenteeism.

[Walleye]

1. If they go to work as an adult in Tennessee, they certainly will face no sickleave

[jmbar2]

2. Blessing in disguise

Most of those parents probably cannot afford to take their kids to the Dr. just to get an excused absence.

[mopinko]

7. my neighborhood school did away w that for just that reason.

[Jilly_in_VA]

9. Yeah, and

what happens when their kid is sent home sick enough times to accrue enough absences that they have to go to juvenile coure for "truancy" because they were sick?

[The Wizard]

3. Demanding sick students mingle with

healthy students in an open door to contagion.

[underpants]

5. No kidding. Republican landslide's for POTUS since 2000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_County,_Tennessee

[underpants]

4. How does a school board prevent you from getting a driver's license?

They could not let you take drivers Ed in school I’d guess but other than that…

Other penalties could include failing a class or grade, not being allowed to participate in graduation or get a driver’s license or permit

[dem4decades]

6. Is a note from their preacher acceptable?

[Nigrum Cattus]

11. it would probably cost more to get a note from a "preacher" than a Doctor

[synni]

8. Homeschool

Starve the district of tax dollars by reducing the number of students, and they'll change their tune.

[Aviation Pro]

10. Well, maybe if they didn't suck at education

They might reduce the level of truancy.

But, you know, they love the uneducated.

[ZDU]

12. Tennessee isn't known for

_____ (fill in the blank) _______.

[modrepub]

13. Great Way To Wipe Out Your Teachers

Yea, we'll see how will your teachers hold up in a classroom full of sick kids who probably should be home. Your teachers get too sick to go to school and then you'll be paying them and substitute teachers (if you can find them).

Does TN have open school board meetings where administrators have to show up and wade through the public comment time? They're going to get an ear full and I doubt the school board folks who think this is good policy are going to be very happy when everyone shows up to meetings to yell at them.

In my parts, yahoos often get elected to boards because of low voter participation but they seldom last long if they bang up the system and folks start ripping them new arse wholes at the school board meetings. It's all fun and games until you have to sit through a thorough tongue lashing and harsh social media posts. Then that $250/month school board salary to sit through 4 hour school board meetings sure don't seem worth it.