Public School

All I can say is wow. Wow.

Andrew was kicked out to school last Monday because he did not have his most recent booster shot for hepatitis. It had been less than 2 months since his last shot, which is how long you are supposed to wait between boosters. He had not had any shots previous to this year because I had submitted a conscientious objection as required by law. This year I decided it would be easier to just get the shots.

I was wrong.

I have had to take him out of school four times this year to keep up with the series. He has more antibodies in his system than any other kid in the school, due to the concentration of shots he has had in less than six months. Despite the fact that he poses no immediate or future risk to the other students, he was excluded from all school activity for the sake of adherence to regulation.

It is my conviction that a system which makes policy a priority over people and purpose is doomed to fail. Forney School District has shown me, without apology or equivocation that their hard-line interpretation of Texas law is more important than my child's educational and social well being. Here is what I wrote to his teachers this afternoon:

I just wanted to share my intense frustration with the school district's implementation of policy, that I know you have nothing to do with. As you may know, Andrew was excluded from school for 3 days last week because of his shot record status. I talked to both the head of nurses and the superintendent about options which would allow Andrew to continue to go to school, while I got everything in order related to his records. They gave me a 3 day extension, which was not in any way enough. Nonetheless I made every good faith effort to correct the situation and had it taken care of by Friday. And though Andrew came to school today, having all of his shots updated, he was still not able to attend class because he did not have the documentation with him.

I was not told that he was not being allowed into class, because the office staff was too busy to talk to me, they just had Andrew call me. I told him I would be there in about an hour, as I had to feed and dress myself and babies. But I got caught up in my morning routine and forgot about the shot record until Andrew called me at 10:30. I did not realize that he was not being allowed to go to class until I met him in the office and asked if he had been waiting there the whole time. When he said yes, I was so outraged that I did not even give him a kiss and a have-a-good day. All I could say was wow. Wow. I put the paperwork on the desk and suggested to the office staff that I deserved a little bit of good faith for all my efforts and walked out the door.

Did they think that I would tell my son to lie about having gotten his shots? Did they think that the State of Texas was going to do a records check this morning and they would be busted for not maintaining files properly? Why has adherence to policy been consistently more important than my child's education? If the school district does not prioritize his education, why should I?

Because I am the parent, and I do care. That's why I have taken the time to talk to those who have the right and authority to make exceptions--as exceptions, not trying to change policy--but they pretended to be bound by unbending constraints. All the while trying to make me as a parent feel guilty for not "caring about my child's education enough" to make sure that all these technical details were taken care of. I was hurt by the disdain showed to me despite my efforts all year long to get Andrew's shots. This was the fifth time this year that I have had to take him out of school to continue the series, as you might recall. And because I care, I let go of my pride and got Andrew vaccinated again instead of the other option of submitting a conscientious objection which would have meant two more weeks of Andrew missing school. I was not going to use him or harm him to make a point like the parents of ponytail boy did. [Recent local news story of parents who refused to cut their pre-k aged son's hair according to dress code so they put it in a ponytail, making him look like a girl, but that was still not good enough for the school, they wanted it braided and the parents still wouldn't do it.] In spite of all my efforts, Andrew could not get the benefit of the doubt for a few short hours to go to class this morning.

I am in my third year of study working towards a degree in education, but I am seriously reconsidering that decision. I cannot imagine wanting to be part of a system which has such disdain for parents, and whose policies take priority over the intended goal of education for the children they are supposed to serve.

This is the reason you teachers wring your hands trying to get parents involved in their child's education. We as parents understand that we have no say in what happens in the school. Our voices are not heard, nor are we respected for the primary and vital role we have in teaching and directing the children we chose to bring into the world. As a teacher, you get attached to your students and call them your children, but they are only on loan to you with our faith and trust that your purpose is their intellectual welfare. However, the education system is set up to make us as parents respond as subjects of the school system, like peasants to a monarch rather than being democratic participants in a system designed for us and by us. I understand that teachers as well suffer frustration with all the bureaucratic constraints of curriculum and testing. This is a continuation of the root problem that our education system comes from the government and agencies down and not from the families and teachers up.

Forgive me, I am getting a little off subject. I just wanted to let you know what was going on and ask you to please help Andrew make up for the time he has missed outside of the control parents and teachers. I will be asking him about assignments he needs to make up and subjects he needs to study. Thank you for your time and effort despite all the bureaucratic discomfort you wade through on a daily basis.

Janika Skembo

I wish my husbands (ex and present) were supportive of homeschooling. I wish I was dedicated enough put in the time and effort that requires.