absenteeism waiver

[ez]

Is there a waiver you get for a disabled child who tends to have health issues from having to comply with the normal absenteeism policies. Here is my situation. I have and autistic 5 year old who attends kindergarten in a self contained ese room k-3. Things are not going too well there unfortunately thats another thread. He has missed 10 days of school this year do to illness. I kept him out this past Thurday because parents kept sending sick children who had been sent home with fevers the day before back to class the next day obviously sick with flu like symptoms, where they would proceed to lay on the floor and sleep in class for most of the day. My son has been hospitalized twice in the past year and a half...he is tiny and low tone and gets dehydrated very easily too. It has been a very bad year for our family as my husband spent most of it ill culminating in major surgery to have part of his colon removed and surgery on his bladder too with a long recovery period. WE have a thansgiving week trip planned for our whole family to go down to key west and also celebrate my husbands and my 25th wedding anniversary. I want to keep my son home from school the entire week before the trip as to minimize the chances that he would come down with something while we are away, but I'm afrAID i WILL GET GRIEF FROM THE SCHOOL OVER THIS. MY son has a great doctor that is very aware of all involved in his situation...it would be awful to have something happen if we were all the way down there...plus psychologically...my family really needs this trip it has been 3 years since we have taken any kind of trip like this. I feel I am justified wanting to keep him home the week prior when you take into account that parents are sending obviously sick kids to school and the school doesnt seem to be enforcing things to the contrary. I thought if there was some kind of waiver I could get my doctor to sign it and wouldnt have to worry so much about this kind of stuff. Appreciate any suggestions or comments...thanks!

 

[bookwormde]

You should talk the situation over with your child’s IEP team, If medical absences are going to be an ongoing issue then there are procedures for having at home schooling. Loosing 3 days should not be a big deal with anyone at the school, especially since most highly qualified clinical practitioners understand what an amazing therapeutic opportunity WDW world is for our children to work to adapt to sensory issues and to work on social skills in a supportive environment where your child can have your undivided attention.

bookwormde

 

[Bearshouse]

Our school has a chronic illness form that our doctor fills out. My son missed nearly 35 days of school when he was in kindergarten. Now our teacher just calls and lets me know that parents are sending in sick kids and I just keep him home. He too is dominately in a self contained classroom. He is in fourth grade now and we just have the chronic illness form filled out at the beginning of the year and I don't get any kind of problems from the teachers or the school. Hope this helps.

Bearshouse

 

[BeckyScott]

I don't think the school can do a thing if the doctor writes a note.

Since your doctor is on-board, I'd go with that. Forget a form, just have him write a letter. For your trip, the doctor can write a note saying that your DS will be absent for these days because of a weakened immune system and he will return to class on this date.