if you are a german speaker, please be kind enough to give me your opinion about "kaum in der Schule"

[Nighbynight]

I phoned the school (Bayern) to report ds2 sick, and the head said "Frau NN, I have heard that one of your children is "kaum in der Schule"

Now to my ears, this has many implications. It could mean that they think I have tried to keep ds off school on purpose, or that he has been playing truant. In fact, he has been in hospital.

so I said No, that is not true, where did you hear that?
and he got on his high horse and said Frau NN, I am not going to discuss it.
Then I said that ds2 had been in hospital, but is now back in the school, and he tried to say that that was what he had meant.
There is a little more background to this story than I have put here, but I found these words "kaum in der Schule" cheeky. The last 2 months have been a nightmare, and this is not the first implication that I have had, that I somehow wanted my son in the hospital. (I have even been blamed outright for him being in the hospital at all the power of prejudice against foreign single mothers I think)

so if you are a native german speaker, and someone told you that they had heard your son was "kaum in der Schule", what would you assume they meant?

It means "hardly attends school".

It is neutral as such but clearly I would have expected a bit more concern or sympathy by the school. HTH

I don't speak German, but just to let you know insensitivity is not the presedrve of German schools.

We were sent a very stiff letter by the education authority about dd1's 'attendance' - and this waqs in reception (age 4).

She had anemia and had had a lot of colds, had been seeing a hospital consultant, school fully informed. But still we got 'threat, threat, threat, not fulfilling her potenyial, very serious' etc. despite the fact she was reading well and doing fine at school!

It's just standard tbh. I'm finding it much harder to be the parent of somoeone at school than I ever did actually going to school myself!

Oh and I'm not a single mum, just your average married, middle-class run of the mill mum.

I'd ignore it. It's not personal. It's not because you are foreign, or a single mum, you'll probably find other parents get the same treatment Juat the way schools are. (Having said that it took my dh at least half an hour to calm down after gettting the letter).

I speak German fluently. I would say it was definitely a reprimand. I would translate as 'your child has barely been at school'.

I would try to ignore it, annoying as it sounds. I find Bavarians can be very traditional and he is probably assuming you are flighty and irresponsible if you are a single mother. There is nothing you can do about people like that except ignore them..

thank you for comments.
fondant, how extremely annoying, completely sympathise.

I got so cross, and extremely vocal, and gave him the whole story of ds's stay in hospital at great length, including precisely why I wasnt happy with them because he stayed there for so long, that I hope the head will be put off making any more cheeky comments like this.