Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy DS MUST go on field trip

Okay, well, I am quite stumped myself. Creepy indeed. How odd!

How do you usually deal with their weirdness?

Or have they risen to a whole new level of weirdness?

I have had schools go weird on me that my child needs to do x or y because of his socialization. Could it be something along those lines. They think he NEEDS the experience going on the bus, following directions, etc..

Another possibility for their odd behavior. Are they asking for a donation for the trip? Field trips are one of the few things schools in my area can still ask for $$ to help defray the cost. Yet, they don't want to deny any child the ability to go on the field trip. So if I child a parent didn't return the money & permission slip the school might assume it was because a parent couldn't pay and didn't want to say.

MK is quite right -- if you have to sign a permission slip for him to attend, then obviously it isn't a "must". That's what permission slips are about!

Our school has assignments associated with at least some field trips -- DS11 went on the 7th grade field trip to the dam when he was in 5th grade (because he was taking classes in several grades and wormed his way into all the field trips) and then this past year when he was actually IN 7th grade, he chose instead to go to his track meet that day and missed it, and he had a zero for the assignment of writing up water test results. But if the grade for a possible assignment doesn't bother you or him, I see no reason he "has" to go.

DD freaked out this past year about the 2nd grade trip to the science museum, but I knew it was just fear of the unknown and made her go anyway -- of course, as I knew she would, she liked it.

Stick to your guns, or if it's not a battle worth fighting up front, do as someone else suggested and sign the slip and then keep him home anyway. What can they do?

Sign the slip and call him in sick that day.

If there is no permission slip returned, then it means that the parent does not want the child to go. They might be calling you because the only reason that they could come up with for the lack of permisssion slip is that you forgot - some people cannot understand that you might not be interested in something so wonderful as a school offered field trip

Usually if people don't return a permission slip it is because they forgot or the kid never gave it to the parent so it could just be that. If the trip is on a day he is usually at school maybe they are worried about what to do with him if they don't know you are happy to have him home. Perhaps the next month's worth of lessons are going to be based on the trip. I would approach the teacher myself and ask what is going on.

Thanks for the feedback all. Oh don't worry - I have no problem sticking to my guns. I was just asking y'all because I thought someone might have some insight. It's rather weird the whole situation. We'll see how it unfolds.

We look forward to updates. What a fun topic!

If a student here has a certain number of unexcused absences, like 10 or 14, or tardies (if a child is even one minute late they mark it as a tardy) the school calls CPS and there is a truancy case. I think once a kid hits 14 absences, they have to bring in doctor's notes. Parents have access to an online acct. and I was looking at DS's page yesterday, and they have documented every absence and the reason for it (sick, medical appt., unexcused, etc). There is even a graph showing the percentage of sick days vs. unexcused, etc.

I wonder if this could have to do with that....they are trying to make a case that there are too many unexcused absences? I don't know, just thought I'd throw that out there.