To give a child a day off school when it’s snowing

[TheSparklyShoe]

Snow day today but DS comp is open. It’s a ten minute walk to his school all on the flat, Ex text DS telling him to stay home. AIBU in that he should attempt to get to school? He’s missed loads of school since September.

Jeez what sort of mum would even question if their healthy 14yr old can walk ten minutes to school .
Absolutely pathetic .

So, is he at school, @TheSparklyShoe ?

I’m not questioning the fact that he can walk to school, I agree, he should be in school! I was overridden by his Dad who told him to stay home.

well, his Dad is just teaching him that he can slack off for the most trivial of reasons which isn’t going to bode well when he’s an adult and has to go to work!

Good grief. My kids had a forty minute walk to secondary school, and did it in all weathers. Your ex is pathetic.

Why has your son had so much time off school already? Unavoidable health issues, or down to your ex?

Why are you letting his Dad’s instruction override you when he is in your care? Fuck that!!

He’s gone! 🥳

Some time off was for unavoidable health issues (an injury) but there’s been a pattern of ex texting saying DS has been sick in the morning and he’s keeping him off so he’s had lots of one off days off too. He was kept off for the last day before the Christmas holidays as ex said he had a “raging temp” but was fine when I saw him the following day.

The people such as your ex and his attitude to school attendance are those that the education authorities should be tackling, far more than those such as the example of a child attending a wedding (see other thread).

Your ex clearly has no respect for education.
The signals he's sending to your son about the value of education are not good.

How is your son supposed to build resilience and develop a good work ethic, if his dad says that at 14 he shouldn't walk on an icy pavement?

If it was too bad the school would have made a risk assessment to close the school. If it's not too bad they will keep it open.

Remember the staff have to get their themselves so if they think it's too dangerous they will soon tell the parents and kids it's too dangerous.

Your ex doesn't 'know better'.

Ridiculous. Quite a few years ago we had really bad snow and the expectation from DS's school was that anyone who lived within an hour's walk should go in. There were no buses and cycling/driving was not possible so an hour of walking there and back it was!

“That’s ok DS, I understand you’re worried about slipping and falling. I’ll walk with you and hold your hand…”

Your ex is pathetic, and totally infantilising your ds which is not good for ds in any way... Well done tho to u and to ds for him going to school!

Surely if it's his dad's custody time then it's his decision?
I would say it depends on the walking conditions, are there pavements all the way and are they safely out of the way of sliding cars? Id be mostly worried about out of control traffic rather than the 14 year old falling over, although if the pavements are like here and coated in black ice then I wouldn't fancy walking on them in school shoes tbh.

I voted YANBU, however i think you are unreasonable for even considering it. You have an ex problem if this is his influence regarding your childs schooling.

Snow, rain, whatever the weather, schooling is a privaledge that should not be thrown away on a whim because someone cant be arsed.

Get to school, learn and come home. Whats the big deal?

Now if you would like to discuss lazy arsed teachers who think a light covering of snow is reason enough to just stay in bed.......Its like teachers cant drive to work in difficult conditions like 90% of the rest of the population can

@TessasandersonI am one of those 'lazy arsed teachers' who has been unable to get in today as I live on a fuck off big hill that is closed to all traffic. All the schools local to me are shut but I teach out of my local area in an inner city school that is open for INSET. Training is being delivered on teams (lunch at present).
I am hoping that I will later be able to drive my car down the hill and park at the bottom so that I can walk to it tomorrow and get in to school.

Rural schools have pupils from wide areas that have students and staff unable to get in.

Of course he can walk for 10 mins in snow 😆

I see absolutely no reason that he needs to stay home, a light dusting of snow doesn’t warrant a day off …

Is this a real question? Of course he needs to go to school. Why has he missed loads?

A few years ago dd1 walked about 3 miles to work in heavy snow as she couldn't get out of her road in her car. She's a doctor so thought her patients might need her!

No teacher gets to decide whether their school should be open.

Any decision to choose schools for a snow day is made either by the headteacher or by the LA or academy chain and is based on safety.
My HT would have kept the school open in snow a foot deep, but as all the children were brought in by minibus or taxi, the LA transport department overruled her. But the teachers were still expected in.

When I was your sons age, our school only closed if the trains stopped running. We took pupils from South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire and if the school was notified of train issues we got sent home. And had to usually walk from the rail station to home anyway as local buses stopped. Your child will be such a limp lettuce if Dad has his way.

My husband commented to the Amazon delivery driver about being safe in the snow. He laughed, gestured to his crotch area and said 'In Russia, you know, we say snow isn't a problem until it touches the bottom of your ... you know?!'

Your son should get to school.

The only reason for kids to stay out of school when it is snowing is that they are spending the day on skis, or on a sled, or playing outside. It snows so rarely these days that I think kids should enjoy the snow to the full. If there is only one day in 3 years to do that, then I would keep my kids out of school if necessary.