Your Child’s Rights in School

As your children go back to school, their school will remind them of the rules at the beginning of the school year. Most schools give out student handbooks or have them online, but it’s important to talk to your children about the school’s rules to make sure they understand them.

The primary rules of school include attendance, residency, discipline, the consequences of breaking the rules, and school records. Let’s break down these rules and your children’s rights so that they will understand their rights and understand the rules of the school:

 

1) Attendance

From age 5-18, parents are responsible for making sure that their children are coming to school.  However, your child may be excused for a good reason, such as sickness. Make sure you bring a written note to the school asking them to excuse your child. If your child has missed 10 or more days of school, then you must give the school a written doctor’s note. Other absences, such as a death in the family or a court appearance, can also be excused. If your child does not have a good reason to be away from school, then the absence is unexcused. As many as 4 unexcused absences can violate the school’s rules and result in discipline.

 

2) Residency

Most children attend the school in the district they live in, but there are some reasons for a child to go to school in another district. The exception to this rule is if you are homeless, meaning you don’t have a permanent residence. Your child can go to school in your current district or go to school in your former district. If you decide to send your child to school in your former district, then the school must provide transportation for your child. Every school has a homeless liaison, so you have someone to help you and your child.

 

3) Discipline

The school will discipline your child if thinks that he or she broke a rule, distracted others from learning, or made the school unsafe. As a result, your child could be removed from the classroom, given an in-school or out-of-school suspension, or expelled.