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SouthCarolina has new school law.........
Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:33 pm
by BUD
Here in SC there has a new school law,if your child misses 3 days of school in a row or 5 all together that parents can be fined or go to jail!!!!!!!!!! These absences have to from a an morealicencened doctor. The paorents can't hand write them anymore!!! I don't think this is fair because it can cost you about$200.00!! Some families can't afford it!! Do any of you have laws like this?????????
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 12:05 am
by Coredesat
If that's the case, that's a stupid law. However, there must be exceptions, say for family emergencies.
Re: SouthCarolina has new school law.........
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:17 am
by JonathanBelles
BUD wrote:Here in SC there has a new school law,if your child misses 3 days of school in a row or 5 all together that parents can be fined or go to jail!!!!!!!!!! These absences have to from a an morealicencened doctor. The paorents can't hand write them anymore!!! I don't think this is fair because it can cost you about$200.00!! Some families can't afford it!! Do any of you have laws like this?????????
This has been a law for as long as I have been in florida. (since winter 2003) It is 4 absences here.
Re: SouthCarolina has new school law.........
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:49 am
by Category 5
One of the dumbest laws I've ever heard, what if the child gets the flu for god sake.
Re: SouthCarolina has new school law.........
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 10:02 am
by gtalum
fact789 wrote:This has been a law for as long as I have been in florida. (since winter 2003) It is 4 absences here.
I can't wait to wrangle with the state of Florida over this one.
We will pull our kid out of school at least once or twice a year for a week at a time for vacation after she's of school-age. No stupid state law is going to force me to go on vacation when schools are out. Good thing my wife is an attorney!

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:02 am
by TexasStooge
Kinda rediculous if you ask me.
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:11 am
by JonathanBelles
I think it is very needed. What else is going to keep kids in school??? I like the law.
Re:
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:15 am
by TexasStooge
fact789 wrote:I think it is very needed. What else is going to keep kids in school???
That's true. Being that many students wanna skip classes, some schools may need do what's necessary.
Re:
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 12:20 pm
by gtalum
fact789 wrote:I think it is very needed. What else is going to keep kids in school??? I like the law.
Parents should make sure their kids do whatever they need to to stay ahead in school. As I mentioned, I simply won't let a stupid law dictate whether or not I pull my kid from school for a week at a time.
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 12:58 pm
by Regit
Do you have a link?
South Carolina's truancy regulation (not law) has always been 3 consecutive or 5 total unlawful absences.
There is nothing in a google news search or on the DOE's website to suggest a new policy. The current policy on the department's website is that districts adopt their own guidelines for lawful and unlawful absences. The state does publish guidelines for the districts, which define an unlawful absence as one without the parents' knowledge or with the parents knowledge, but for no reason.
So, if parents want to pull their kids out, they just have to write an excuse saying the child was sick.
Re:
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:09 pm
by chadtm80
fact789 wrote:I think it is very needed. What else is going to keep kids in school??? I like the law.
The Parents.. Just another example of the Goverment trying to come into my home telling me what to do with my child.. What happen to parents know best?? Big brother sure as heck dosent know better then I. I understand what they are trying to do.. But again, its not thier concern. Stay out of it
Re:
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:10 pm
by JonathanBelles
Regit wrote:Do you have a link?
South Carolina's truancy regulation (not law) has always been 3 consecutive or 5 total unlawful absences.
There is nothing in a google news search or on the DOE's website to suggest a new policy. The current policy on the department's website is that districts adopt their own guidelines for lawful and unlawful absences. The state does publish guidelines for the districts, which define an unlawful absence as one without the parents' knowledge or with the parents knowledge, but for no reason.
So, if parents want to pull their kids out, they just have to write an excuse saying the child was sick.
That doesn't fly anywhere any more. Kids claim they are sick all the time. Now you must have a Doctors note.
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 2:11 pm
by artist
my understanding is that most states that use this it is for unexcused absences. Tx had the same law. I do think that once a child turns 18 the parent is no longer held responsible. I do know my niece received a fine of $500 for skipping school and nothing was done to her parents. If she doesn't pay it and gets pulled over for any reason she can then be jailed for not paying the fine as well. Unfortunately she has not had the best example set for her and in my opinion this is where it has led her. Sometimes I think maybe the jail time would wake her up before it is too late since she has never been given any parameters by her parents. She is a good child - just looking for the type of attention she has never been given. They think it is love when you don't enforce your rules.

Re: Re:
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 6:49 pm
by Regit
fact789 wrote:Regit wrote:Do you have a link?
South Carolina's truancy regulation (not law) has always been 3 consecutive or 5 total unlawful absences.
There is nothing in a google news search or on the DOE's website to suggest a new policy. The current policy on the department's website is that districts adopt their own guidelines for lawful and unlawful absences. The state does publish guidelines for the districts, which define an unlawful absence as one without the parents' knowledge or with the parents knowledge, but for no reason.
So, if parents want to pull their kids out, they just have to write an excuse saying the child was sick.
That doesn't fly anywhere any more. Kids claim they are sick all the time. Now you must have a Doctors note.
Well, we're talking South Carolina here. According the the Department of Education's website, a parent's note is sufficient for a lawful absence.
Considering how many parents can't afford to take their kids to a doctor, I'd be willing to bet that any such law would be either unenforceable or struck down by courts the first time it's challenged.
Re: SouthCarolina has new school law.........
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 6:56 pm
by BUD
Last month WPDE NEWS CHANNEL 15 had it on the news. You can go to WPDE .com and look up there news archives. They said it was put in to law because of the older kids were missing school, but it is law for all kids. They will fine you $50.00 and or jail time.
Re: Re:
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 7:54 pm
by JonathanBelles
Regit wrote:fact789 wrote:Regit wrote:Do you have a link?
South Carolina's truancy regulation (not law) has always been 3 consecutive or 5 total unlawful absences.
There is nothing in a google news search or on the DOE's website to suggest a new policy. The current policy on the department's website is that districts adopt their own guidelines for lawful and unlawful absences. The state does publish guidelines for the districts, which define an unlawful absence as one without the parents' knowledge or with the parents knowledge, but for no reason.
So, if parents want to pull their kids out, they just have to write an excuse saying the child was sick.
That doesn't fly anywhere any more. Kids claim they are sick all the time. Now you must have a Doctors note.
Well, we're talking South Carolina here. According the the Department of Education's website, a parent's note is sufficient for a lawful absence.
Considering how many parents can't afford to take their kids to a doctor, I'd be willing to bet that any such law would be either unenforceable or struck down by courts the first time it's challenged.
If Fl that law is very enforceable. Without a doctors note in college, you can be kicked from the class with out refund after 4 absences. After school classes are the punishment in HS.
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 8:10 pm
by CajunMama
If my child was sick enough to miss 3 days of school you'd better bet i'd find a way for him to see a doctor. I almost always made my children attend school...even during senior skip day (and my child was rewarded by being allowed to not having to take a final exam in the class of her choice). The day after dance recital? You'd better believe she was at school. The only time either of my kids missed a week or more was in kindergarten when she had chickenpox and yes even back in the early 90's i had a doctors excuse to get her back in.
I have a relative who always let her kids miss just cuz they didn't feel like going to school that day. They struggled in school because of that.
Gtalum...it is your choice to take your child out of school for a vacation but are you really doing him/her a favor by doing that?
Re: SouthCarolina has new school law.........
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 8:25 pm
by BUD
Here is the link..........
http://www.wpde.com/news/viewarticle.asp?view=6455Also the attendace lady at my daughters school said that parents notes are not acceptable, even though they used to be.
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:07 pm
by HarlequinBoy
At my school we're allowed 15 days before you're supposed to go before the Board. They don't really enforce it though.. but if you get so many unexcused abscences you get ISS or Saturday School.
Re: SouthCarolina has new school law.........
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:50 pm
by Regit
As I said, it's a district policy, not a state law.