I don’t know about you, but I’ve been up to my eyeballs in arts and crafts, princess dresses, and tea parties these past couple of days, and, as much as I love my girls, I’m ready for this pink hell to end.
See, both of my kids go to Charleston County schools, and the wife and I have been trading off on who watches them while school is canceled. But like many parents, I was concerned when CCSD sent out a press release announcing that all schools will be open tomorrow and that any parent with bus-riding children in areas still impacted by floods would have to arrange alternate transportation.
I don’t know about you, but that seems like a real dick move. After all, if some areas are too flooded for a vehicular behemoth like a bus to safely travel down, then what makes CCSD think it’s fine for a car? Baffling.
Just as important, CCSD also failed to note whether students unable to attend school would be given excused absences. This is important because a student can only get so many absences before getting held back.
As a result, I had a few questions to ask the good folks at the CCSD HQ. Here are my questions:
1. Have all schools been assessed for flood damage and deemed safe?
2. Will students who are unable to attend school tomorrow as a result of flooding receive excused absences/not counted as absent?
3. Will students who ride buses which are unable to reach their stops not be counted absent/received excused absences?
And here are the answers:
1. Yes. The one exception is West Ashley Head Start. They are closed until Monday.
2. Students who do not attend due to displacement by the weather or not having transportation will be excused.
3. They will be excused.
CCSD has also clarified the terms of tomorrow’s mandatory attendance on Twitter, noting that “If your student cannot attend school tomorrow, please contact your school’s office and let them know.” They also tweeted, “Principals are aware that some families are still experiencing flooding or may be displaced or without vehicles,” and “Absences will be excused accordingly by your principal.”
So there you have it. If you still think the roadways are too dangerous to send your kid to school, feel free to keep them at home and your kid won’t get a mark against them. All you have to do is tell your friendly neighborhood principal you don’t have transportation.
Personally, I’m getting these little monsters out of the house.
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