My 15 year old grandson, good kid & good student, is coming elk hunting with us 3rd season in CO. 2 years ago when he last came teachers all gave him independent studies assignments for the week he would miss. This year even the PE teacher isn’t helping. Apparently 5+ miles hiking at altitude with a pack & rifle doesn’t qualify as PE.

We are in Southern CA so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised but our little rural community used to have common sense. Do I write a letter to the principal or let him deal with the PITA teachers?

Suggestions welcome.

Does the school have a policy regarding completing work in advance before being absent? I was a HS science teacher for 33 years and our policy was as long as students communicated in advance of the absence the policy allowed them to complete work missed. A policy like this doesn't just address work that is missed, but teaches good work-related habits through communication. I would definitely have your grandson try to address the situation with teachers and then with the principal, if needed, but would then follow up if that doesn't resolve the situation. Hope he is able to get the situation resolved. Good luck on your hunt.

Fuuck 'em. A bunch of Stalin wannabes. Communication is still your best tool, with whomever is relevant and will listen, but in the current climate, personal politics are going to hold sway regardless of what you do.

He should have told them he was spending the week exercising his political freedom of speech, liberating oppressed minorities, protecting citizens from statues, and rescuing persecuted immigrants.

Home school

Hope your boy does not have to deal with too much hassle. I went to a prep school, and my Pa was a HS principal at another school at the time . There is no way I would have gotten to miss classes to go hunting! Your boy is lucky in that regard. That being said, if he can get the work done, where's the beef? In the end , they work for you, and are paid on your dime! Good luck on your hunt!

Call in sick and tell them he lost his sense of taste and smell. That should get him a week of scouting plus the hunt. The best part is he can do this over and over because supposedly there is no immunity.

That might be the easiest way...

In the long haul, a week spending time with family and grandpa is a helluva lot more important than a week of school at age 15.

When my son was in 6th grade, the first year he could legally hunt, I called his teacher saying he was going to miss a couple of days of school to go hunting with me. His teacher said, " I wish more Dad's would take the time to do stuff like this with their kids." He wasn't a hunter either, but he could see the big picture.

I learned very early not to tell anyone connected with the school district that my son was going hunting. It was always a trip to spend time with family members in another state.

Also, shouldn't this be the kind of things that his parents handle? Sometimes administrators and teachers are restricted in what they can do for anyone who's not a parent or guardian.


Okie John

Don't do or say anything to make your kid the victim of this situation. He is a tennis ball between two opposing views and right and wrong have nothing to do with it. If they are that chknshit they will act vindictively when he gets back.

When I took my son out for a week of hunting last year I just told him we were going on vacation. Once approved by the principal, he asked for and received his homework for the week.

Shouldn't be that hard, just have the parents go to the administration and tell them. Kids are taken out of school all the time for all sorts of reasons.

we just did this for my 16 YO and 1st rifle.

key is just to say it's an out of state family event and leave it at that.

several of his teachers always ask if he got his animal when he got back, but thats not how the conversation starts.

we're lucky to live in a rural school district in TX.

Echoing the comments to say he is going on a family vacation and I would emphasize to the kid to say the same in front of his teacher. Don't need to provide anymore details than that. Keep it simple, believable, and vague.

Something I was taught as a kid, you need to know your audience.

Back in the day 1972 to be exact, I when Moose hunting in Newfoundland with my Uncle George. I was so loaded down with homework that if I did nothing but 24/7 I still would not have completed 25 % of the assignments. I did what I could. I shot a decent bull. When I got back to school, I pretty much did everything right up to mid-Feb. I was in High School at the time. I learned something really important, they lied and did this on purpose to spoil a hunting trip. I never took any of those teachers' word for anything after that. My mon was just out of the hospital after a bout of cancer. She thought I really needed the break. After that, I never did any more than what I needed to do to get a passing grade, it was not hard. Every year since I graduated, in '74 they ask for a donation (private catholic school), and every year since I toss all correspondence in the trash, I don't go to reunions or any other alumni events. Take the boy elk hunting, that has more value than sitting in front of a computer as they do here in CT for school. I hope he gets a shot at a big herd bull. As for that PT, teacher tell him to go screw himself. The boy is going hunting.

I am a HS teacher in TX. If we have a student with "covid" they are told to stay away from school for 14 days on quarantine and the teachers are required to either assign work virtually or allow full make up work upon return. I'm not saying to go that route, but it would be an option for an elk hunt.

My communication would be, "See y'all when I get back."

Does the school have an absence policy? Check it, see if it's even allowed. Where my kids graduated they had an "x" days and you are held back policy. Don't recall by the "x" was pretty high.

No need to lie to the school. No need to go into details either.

Johnny won't be at school from the 10th till the 20th. We need the makeup work.

When I was in school I believe we had 18 days we could miss without getting into trouble.

I kept my grades high and went hunting.


-Jake

I was in education for 30 years most PE teachers I knew were lazy pricks.. Except one... The hunt is more important than any PE class ever given.. Get a Doc's excuse and hunt on.. We used to sign kids out for 1-2 weeks depending on the hunt... Have fun and screw them..

Something to seriously consider, last month my oldest went to the school nurse for a headache (think he just wanted out of class) and apparently really ran with it when the nurse went through the checklist of covid symptoms with him, "". 10 days vacation until we could get the 2nd negative test.

I've never had a problem getting my kids out of school for hunting trips but I also make it a point to not tell the school anything other than they're going to a "family obligation out of town".

I think it's funny that anyone would imagine that the student or the parent is somehow beholden to the school system. They have forgotten their place, and everyone else has forgotten as well. Like I said, a bunch of mini-Stalins.

I agree. I’ve been out of high school for 20 years now but when I was going on a hunting trip that’s exactly what my parents told the teachers. I grew up in a tiny rural community but even there a few of the teachers were very liberal looking back at it but I don’t remember ever being treated unfairly by them. I don’t have any kids but if I did you can bet your @$$ that the teachers would know exactly the type of trip they were going on. I will never hide who I am or what my values are based on the fact that a snowflake may not like it. As long as what you are doing is within the confines of the law then I say to hell with them. He will learn more about the real world in a week or two of hunting than he will in a month of indoctrinated BS in a classroom.

Thanks all for the suggestions next year it’s out of state family vacation for sure accurate & all they need to know. Son asked my advice - he had a huge problem with authority made it less than 2 years before being asked to leave (he followed the “screw em” advice to a tee. You might guess dealing with teachers & administrators not his forte. But we seem to be on track so I’m not volunteering for anything yet.

Just send that kid to school.

He'll be LUCKY if he can squeeze a real education out of public school if he NEVER MISSED A DAY and he can still "learn to hunt" on the weekend. You know, just like most people who have a job.

Good luck on your hunt. The kid is going on a family vacation and they (the teachers) need to deal with it.

You could tell them the kid is going to Mississippi to assist doctors in performing illegal abortions. Or that he is going to burn and loot in (insert random big city) in solidarity with his superior brown-skinned brothers. Or that he is going to go to a battleground state and help to rig the next election. There is zero reason why these "authorities" deserve the respect of being told the truth. Tell your son to have fun with them. That seems to help when dealing with "authorities" who have none.

I haven’t got a problem telling the minimum amount of truth - but still prefer to avoid knowingly lying to anyone - even on a forum. Life is much simpler that way.

Does that mean the wife gets a financial disclosure on the cost of elk hunting particularly paying for kids & grandkids - not that stupid.

Consult the student handbook and look for the policy on makeup work. Some teachers don't follow policy and make their own rules.

Since I retired my wife and I have been doing some financial planning, including setting up trusts for the kids, etc. She asked what my guns were worth and I replied "$10,000". While that is absolutely true, the full truth is they are worth probably double that. Planning to give most of them to my daughters and grandkids so the value really isn't much concern.

Also since I retired, I'll be hunting elk two rifle seasons this year 3rd and 4th. This is a first. A SIL will be hunting 3rd with me and a daughter and her hubby will join me for 4th. Rented a space at the Craig KOA for a month since it was cheaper than renting by the week for 2-1/2 weeks.

Wife asked what the KOA space cost, so I told her. She hasn't asked about other costs,(although I think she has a good idea), and I'm not volunteering.

That’s chickencshit!

He has been quarantined for 14 days! E mail his home work assignments to xxx email.. Parents name.

They aren't entitled to any more than this.

Always good to remind them who works for who.

First off... get the hell out of cal.

Wise words above..

I took my 15 year old out of school for a moose hunt, and the attendance lady made him stay in after school detention for a week or two after we got back. I wrote the principal and talked with him but he wasn't going to tangle with that old biddy even though he agreed with me. I always felt bad that the kid got punished for my decision to take him, but he sloughed it off, well worth it to him.

Your first mistake is attempting to treat public school staff with respect. They are scum. End of story.especially administrative staff

You simply tell them that your son will be absent for family reasons, and they will assign him work ahead of time to be completed or they can shove the work up their asses, and should they try and penalize him your next visit withebthem you will have an attorney accompanying you

Plenty of diverse opinions here................ Semi-random thoughts:

My guess is that each opinion presented here is about in line with that person's experiences when they were a student. Sure is easy to blame the school and The Suits in the Office.

Interesting that I saw [unless I missed it] any mention of the fact that the School Boards make these absence policies. Your bitch is with whoever makes the policies.... not just the people you talk to. And these policies may have been in place for a long time.

I did a LONG time teaching in a small public school in rural Minnesota. With any of those absence squabbles... been there done that.

I agree that the teen should be elk hunting. Without a doubt. There should be a way to arrange that. Unless he is one of those who rarely makes up the work missed. Had quite a few of those. Not all student's situations are alike. One size does not fit all.

Not all work can be assigned to be done out of the classroom. My 9th grade students did labs every week. Couldnt assign that ahead or out of the classroom.

Well into my years teaching, some of us on our faculty decided to keep a master list of all the reasons students provided for their absences... The list grew to about 40 reasons. Students WORK at finding ways to get out class. Anything to get out of class. Such as; miss all day friday to get hair done for the saturday night prom; Christmas shopping; 'have to take my car to get the oil changed' 'I was tired.' absent all day for a dentist appt 4 blocks away. on and on ad nauseum. sometimes 'hunting' was an acceptable excuse... and we arranged parent conferences to be during the week of deer hunting.... Students were off for 3 days.

Our Suits in the Office faced that crap daily so it was not surprising when they wrote absence guidelines for people to refer to. And you cant please everyone.

The key as said above is COMMUNICATION. With The Suits, not just the teachers. See the rules in the student handbook. Since the schools are responsible for the education process it follows that the students are responsible for being there to benefit from it. The case above should have been smoother to work out.

As for elk hunting...... Back in the day i got an offer i didnt want to refuse: elk hunting in Montana. So WAY AHEAD i read the rules for faculty absences. Planned way ahead. Sweet talked some people. Arranged a substitute. Worked really hard getting in shape for the steep slopes and the thin air. Spent a week in the Montana mountains with 3 good guys. Wonderful. The bull with my name on it didnt come around MY side of that brush patch. I could hear him..................... Did get a nice mule deer. My bride told me that after i came home 2 weeks or more passed before i got back to normal...

Probably the teen should have been able to go hunting................ depending on some details. We cant always do what we want. no easy answer.

Yup ....... I can take the grandkids hunting or to the range any time I want.

The next person that old bitch would be talking to would by my lawyer!

No way; I wouldn’t teach my kid it’s ok to lie when “you’re right”. That can flip around and burn ya real fast.





Yep. None of their business the details.

I used to take my youngest out when he was in high school for out of state deer hunting. Told them I only had 1 week vacation. I like the what someone else posted about losing taste and smell.

When I was in school the teachers and school board were not openly COMMIE, I went hunting when ever I wanted, to if my grades stayed good they never said a word, The teachers would ask me where good places were to hunt and fish. times have changed. Rio7

This guy is absolutely part of the problem

No, he's absolutely correct.

Exactly

No he isn't...he is under the delusion that the public school system has more right to my child than I do...

It's simple. Public school employees are scum and deserve to be treated as such. If my child is going to miss school it's none of their concern as to why.

Success in school at any level is heavily dependent upon attendance.

The current model of remote teaching proves children perform better and learn more when they are in the classroom with professional educators.

Assuming the child has a proper work ethic (largely the product of proper parenting) a week to 10 days of elk hunting will not hinder him academically.

As to the comment that (no one would argue that there are bad apples in any profession) public school teachers are scum the simple remedy is to homeschool.

Or are you sufficiently self-aware that you are not up to the task?