Straight-A student?s parents sue over F

[mugs]

Originally posted by: ShockwaveVT
the field trip was an optional absence.

sporting events and suspensions are not optional. nor does the "policy" in the article mention field trips.

hence the difference.

The project seems to be a semester project type thing meaning there was plenty of time for the kid to finish it a few days early.

now, regardless of whether you agree with me above, there is ZERO justification for a lawsuit. The teacher and principle set the rules. If you don't like the rules, put your kid in a different school.

:laugh: You're really grasping at straws there.

I agree that she should have finished it early, or at least talked to her teacher ahead of time - that was irresponsible of her and something I wouldn't expect from such a successful student. I agree that a lawsuit shouldn't be required - the principal should enforce the school's policy if it is accurately reflected in the article. Too many principals are too willing to yield to the discretion of a teacher because they just don't feel like getting involved. They shouldn't HAVE to sue to get the proper outcome. The teacher shouldn't be so petty and should follow the school's policies, not make up her own.

Edit:

Originally posted by: ShockwaveVT

How about Point #2 - the Teacher and Principal set the rules. If you don't like it, take your kid to a different school.

They should follow the rules that were set.

And the suggestion that she change schools is so stupid it doesn't warrant a response.

 

[theeedude]

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: senseamp
If you never got an F in school, I think you missed something in your education.
Dealing with failure and moving on is part of what you need to learn in school.
Of course these spoiled brats go through their formative years without failing or difficulties, so when they get out into the real world, they get hit like a ton of bricks. These are the kids that kill themselves in college because they are used to being top of their class in highschool, but find out that they are completely mediocre when everyone else is as smart or smarter.

I got all A's in highschool while taking the most difficult courses possible because I worked my ass off, so I think your comment about failing a course is completely unfounded. However, I do know the type of student you are describing. I knew one girl in high school that was that obsessive about grades, and perhaps three now that I am in college, and they are all pretty annoying. I'm all for working hard, but there is a limit where the payoff does not justify the effort. Grades are relatively insignificant once you get into college (assuming you maintain a decent GPA).

I did good in highschool too, but I never had being valedictorian as my goal, I just wanted to get into a good college. Actually, I was very happy with not being valedictorian because I am not very good at giving speeches. These kids really have no clue about the real world. Once you get into college, noone is going to care about your high school GPA, your SAT scores, etc. But they might care that you can't deal with setbacks without resorting to petty lawsuits. Even if her name is kept private, eventually those same traits and sense of entitlement will manifest itself to the girl's disadvantage.

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: mugs
I agree that she should have finished it early, or at least talked to her teacher ahead of time - that was irresponsible of her and something I wouldn't expect from such a successful student. I agree that a lawsuit shouldn't be required - the principal should enforce the school's policy if it is accurately reflected in the article. Too many principals are too willing to yield to the discretion of a teacher because they just don't feel like getting involved. They shouldn't HAVE to sue to get the proper outcome. The teacher shouldn't be so petty and should follow the school's policies, not make up her own.

Exactly. If the teacher absolutely believed that the student should be punished, the punishment should fit the "crime" while taking into account the past history of the student (or, does zero tolerance apply to grades now, too?). A letter grade drop would be a reasonable consequence, but a failing grade is absurd.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: mugs
I agree that she should have finished it early, or at least talked to her teacher ahead of time - that was irresponsible of her and something I wouldn't expect from such a successful student. I agree that a lawsuit shouldn't be required - the principal should enforce the school's policy if it is accurately reflected in the article. Too many principals are too willing to yield to the discretion of a teacher because they just don't feel like getting involved. They shouldn't HAVE to sue to get the proper outcome. The teacher shouldn't be so petty and should follow the school's policies, not make up her own.

Exactly. If the teacher absolutely believed that the student should be punished, the punishment should fit the "crime" while taking into account the past history of the student (or, does zero tolerance apply to grades now, too?). A letter grade drop would be a reasonable consequence, but a failing grade is absurd.

well to be fair we really do not know what the grade she recived was.

she was given half credit on it. that could be a D or C even.

 

[theeedude]

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: mugs
I agree that she should have finished it early, or at least talked to her teacher ahead of time - that was irresponsible of her and something I wouldn't expect from such a successful student. I agree that a lawsuit shouldn't be required - the principal should enforce the school's policy if it is accurately reflected in the article. Too many principals are too willing to yield to the discretion of a teacher because they just don't feel like getting involved. They shouldn't HAVE to sue to get the proper outcome. The teacher shouldn't be so petty and should follow the school's policies, not make up her own.

Exactly. If the teacher absolutely believed that the student should be punished, the punishment should fit the "crime" while taking into account the past history of the student (or, does zero tolerance apply to grades now, too?). A letter grade drop would be a reasonable consequence, but a failing grade is absurd.

Not really absurd. A lot of teachers give failing grades for late submission. The only question is was her late submission excused or not. Past history of the student has nothing to do with it. Rules should be applied uniformly.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: senseamp

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: mugs
I agree that she should have finished it early, or at least talked to her teacher ahead of time - that was irresponsible of her and something I wouldn't expect from such a successful student. I agree that a lawsuit shouldn't be required - the principal should enforce the school's policy if it is accurately reflected in the article. Too many principals are too willing to yield to the discretion of a teacher because they just don't feel like getting involved. They shouldn't HAVE to sue to get the proper outcome. The teacher shouldn't be so petty and should follow the school's policies, not make up her own.

Exactly. If the teacher absolutely believed that the student should be punished, the punishment should fit the "crime" while taking into account the past history of the student (or, does zero tolerance apply to grades now, too?). A letter grade drop would be a reasonable consequence, but a failing grade is absurd.

Not really absurd. A lot of teachers give failing grades for late submission. The only question is was her late submission excused or not. Past history of the student has nothing to do with it. Rules should be applied uniformly.

yeap. IF the teacher has a rule that they do not accept late papers (except for those that policy says they have to) they can't pick and chose who they apply the rule to.

in this case the teacher should give full credit.

wich i think will eventually happen. I just feel damages and such is BS

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: senseamp
These kids really have no clue about the real world. Once you get into college, noone is going to care about your high school GPA, your SAT scores, etc. But they might care that you can't deal with setbacks without resorting to petty lawsuits. Even if her name is kept private, eventually those same traits and sense of entitlement will manifest itself to the girl's disadvantage.

Yep, that is definitely true. Ever since highschool, I've been curious to see how these individuals would end up in the workplace, because I can't imagine them being successful.

Even though I had all A's in highschool, and I took all the high level AP/IB classes, I actually ended up as 2nd in my class rather than the valedictorian, even though the valedictorian had at least one B on her record? Why? Well, I took an extra 4.0-level course when I was a freshman, and naturally, this lowered my GPA. I lost by 1/1000 of a point. I was a bit upset when it happened, but I didn't make a big deal out of it, and it doesn't matter anymore. There isn't a single person that cares if you were the valedictorian or if you had a failing grade on a highschool biology assignment.

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: senseamp

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: mugs
I agree that she should have finished it early, or at least talked to her teacher ahead of time - that was irresponsible of her and something I wouldn't expect from such a successful student. I agree that a lawsuit shouldn't be required - the principal should enforce the school's policy if it is accurately reflected in the article. Too many principals are too willing to yield to the discretion of a teacher because they just don't feel like getting involved. They shouldn't HAVE to sue to get the proper outcome. The teacher shouldn't be so petty and should follow the school's policies, not make up her own.

Exactly. If the teacher absolutely believed that the student should be punished, the punishment should fit the "crime" while taking into account the past history of the student (or, does zero tolerance apply to grades now, too?). A letter grade drop would be a reasonable consequence, but a failing grade is absurd.

Not really absurd. A lot of teachers give failing grades for late submission. The only question is was her late submission excused or not. Past history of the student has nothing to do with it. Rules should be applied uniformly.

I agree with the first part (excused vs. unexcused), but I absolutely think past history should be taken into account. Zero tolerance, in general, is a load of crap.

 

[Thraxen]

Originally posted by: senseamp
I did good in highschool too, but I never had being valedictorian as my goal, I just wanted to get into a good college. Actually, I was very happy with not being valedictorian because I am not very good at giving speeches. These kids really have no clue about the real world. Once you get into college, noone is going to care about your high school GPA, your SAT scores, etc. But they might care that you can't deal with setbacks without resorting to petty lawsuits. Even if her name is kept private, eventually those same traits and sense of entitlement will manifest itself to the girl's disadvantage.

I fail to see how the school shafting the girl by not applying their own rules correctly is going to lead to a sense of entitlement.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: daniel1113
Yep, that is definitely true. Ever since highschool, I've been curious to see how these individuals would end up in the workplace, because I can't imagine them being successful.

Even though I had all A's in highschool, and I took all the high level AP/IB classes, I actually ended up as 2nd in my class rather than the valedictorian, even though the valedictorian had at least one B on her record? Why? Well, I took an extra 4.0-level course when I was a freshman, and naturally, this lowered my GPA. I lost by 1/1000 of a point. I was a bit upset when it happened, but I didn't make a big deal out of it, and it doesn't matter anymore. There isn't a single person that cares if you were the valedictorian or if you had a failing grade on a highschool biology assignment.

The valedictorian at my HS went to harvard. I believe it was probably one of the biggest moments of his life, although I don't talk to him anymore. He and I both grew up in a poor neighborhood and whatever scholarships he must have gotten would have been a huge boost to him.

You may talk it down or whatever, but I've seen the other side of the coin and some of the stupid assumptions here are just that.

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: skace

Originally posted by: daniel1113
Yep, that is definitely true. Ever since highschool, I've been curious to see how these individuals would end up in the workplace, because I can't imagine them being successful.

Even though I had all A's in highschool, and I took all the high level AP/IB classes, I actually ended up as 2nd in my class rather than the valedictorian, even though the valedictorian had at least one B on her record? Why? Well, I took an extra 4.0-level course when I was a freshman, and naturally, this lowered my GPA. I lost by 1/1000 of a point. I was a bit upset when it happened, but I didn't make a big deal out of it, and it doesn't matter anymore. There isn't a single person that cares if you were the valedictorian or if you had a failing grade on a highschool biology assignment.

The valedictorian at my HS went to harvard. I believe it was probably one of the biggest moments of his life, although I don't talk to him anymore. He and I both grew up in a poor neighborhood and whatever scholarships he must have gotten would have been a huge boost to him.

You may talk it down or whatever, but I've seen the other side of the coin and some of the stupid assumptions here are just that.

I'm not talking it down, as it is a great accomplishment. But, the difference between being #1 and #2 in your class, or even #10 or something, is highly insignificant in the grand scheme of things. GPA/grades is only a part of the college application process. Clearly your friend was a high achiever; however, I would be that he was also involved with more than just school. The girl that was valedictorian at my school didn't get into any great schools because she didn't do anything outside of the classroom.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
They are absolutely right to sue, despite the slew of knee jerk posts. She turned an assignment in a day late because she was on a SCHOOL TRIP. If she was an athlete off playing in some game, she would not have recieved the F. T

hey should be suing for the correct grade, but there's nothing wrong with punitive damages- the school needs to be taught a lesson. Boohoo it will take money away from stadiums and trips to Disneyworld!!

Guess what, in real life, ALA the working world, a deadline is a deadline. If the teacher told the class turn in your project on the 17th no exceptions, then it means, NO EXCEPTIONS. Amazingly enough some teachers act like hard asses not to be dicks, but to actually get the kids to learn what life is going to be like.
I couldn't be a teacher with the way a lot of parents are nowadays, as it is I'm forbidden from going to any PTA meetings at our kids' school because of me calling out dumb parents in the past.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
Guess what, in real life, ALA the working world, a deadline is a deadline. If the teacher told the class turn in your project on the 17th no exceptions, then it means, NO EXCEPTIONS. Amazingly enough some teachers act like hard asses not to be dicks, but to actually get the kids to learn what life is going to be like.
I couldn't be a teacher with the way a lot of parents are nowadays, as it is I'm forbidden from going to any PTA meetings at our kids' school because of me calling out dumb parents in the past.

In the real world deadlines are made more intelligently though. Sometimes teachers setup situations where you are expected to fail (IE: I had a math teacher who said he expected us to spend 3-4 hours a night working on math homework and he didn't care about what we had to do for any other classes -- that is an unrealistic goal). Plus, in the real world, if your current deadlines suck you can just go to a new job, but during school you need to succeed to make yourself as valuable as possible so that you can get those jobs. Work sucks for other reasons, but this isn't really one of them.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
They are absolutely right to sue, despite the slew of knee jerk posts. She turned an assignment in a day late because she was on a SCHOOL TRIP. If she was an athlete off playing in some game, she would not have recieved the F. T

hey should be suing for the correct grade, but there's nothing wrong with punitive damages- the school needs to be taught a lesson. Boohoo it will take money away from stadiums and trips to Disneyworld!!

Guess what, in real life, ALA the working world, a deadline is a deadline. If the teacher told the class turn in your project on the 17th no exceptions, then it means, NO EXCEPTIONS. Amazingly enough some teachers act like hard asses not to be dicks, but to actually get the kids to learn what life is going to be like.
I couldn't be a teacher with the way a lot of parents are nowadays, as it is I'm forbidden from going to any PTA meetings at our kids' school because of me calling out dumb parents in the past.

If I miss a deadline at work by a day, nothing happens. They don't fire me, they don't "fail" me. It may make me look bad, but likely just means the work couldn't be done in the time allotted. It'd be better if I told my manager I was going to miss the deadline, but it's not always easy to know ahead of time if you're going to hit a date, because unexpected problems come up.

By the same token, they're not teaching her anything about the "real" (working) world by applying rules differently to different people. If a company fired one person for an infraction that another person committed and was not punished for, that company is setting itself up for a lawsuit.

 

[irishScott]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: irishScott

Well I came up through public schools, and I've been in this exact situation several times in my less responsible years. My teachers specifically tole me that an assignment would not be accepted late, and due to some stupid reason I would forget (or occasionally I would actually have a vlid reason) I've never been to court, and I always worked it out with the school, or not. I earned a few Fs. They have not damaged my success in the least, and I believe I am a better person for it.

you've been in the situation where the teacher violated school policy and gave you a failing grade on a major project, dropping your GPA so that you're not competitive with all the other students who took art via catalog so the 4.0-scale class wouldn't drag on your GPA, and now your chances of getting into Harvard have precipitously dropped?

Yes. Happened Junior year, basic Physics. Took me from a 3.2 to a 3.0 at the end of the year, and killed my dream of getting a 3.6 or above and applying to GA Tech or Carnegie Melon (my SATs were on the high end and my Engineering/Science and Music oriented Resume would make most colleges drool. I can list it so you can judge if you like). Still, I didn't wind up in court, and I took the same teacher for AP Physics the next year, got a 4 on the Exam and a B+ in the class.

I am now getting straight As at the University of Delaware (Freshman Computer Engineering Major), and have had an internship at Lockheed Martin for software engineering since last summer that will hopefully turn into a job.

I also got accepted into Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Rochester Institute of Technology, NC State, George Mason (my backup) and of course, the University of Delaware. Only UVA rejected me.

Despite it's lack of publicity, UDel is actually surprisingly good from both Engineering and Music. Check it out highschool kids.


Remainder of pitch for UDEL:

I'm building basic circuits on breadboards now while my friends at VA Tech are still running through their "Introductory" Programs.

you had a 3.0 gpa. totally different from a 4.5 gpa if i'm not mistaken, and you weren't in position to be an extraordinarily high achieving student. Plus, it wasn't like just one assignment totally fvcked you over in that class because you turned it in late while on a school trip. Or am I wrong?

Originally posted by: ElFenix
well ok then. i honestly have no idea where most of the schools you listed rank against each other (other than CMU and GT being pretty good). still, your teacher violated school policy to give you the 'unfair' grade?

It was the huge quarterly project. I made All-State Chorus that year, and the due date overlapped with the 3 days I'd be in Norfolk for it (I live in Northern VA). I figured, exactly as this girl did, that I'd have the required extra day. So I e-mailed him about it the day of the trip, and went down south. It was sometime on the bus ride down I remembered he specifically said that NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WOULD BE ACCEPTED except for EXTREMELY EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES (ie you get in a car crash and are in the hospital). PERIOD. So I kicked myself in the a$$ for the remainder of the trip, and when I got back I turned in what I had, talked to him about and BECAUSE I HAD SHOWN him RESPECT and had a good rep with this teacher, he gave me a 50% as opposed to a 0% (my work was also very good if I say so myself). It would have dropped my GPA to a 2.x I took it gratefully and moved on.

And all of the schools I mentioned are in the Fiske Guide, so they're in the top 300 or so that they decide to put in there.

 

[erub]

Those who keep saying that the school's policy wasn't followed: the policy was followed in this case, it just didn't specify what happend in the case of school trips. The policy was discriminatory and gave an extension to athletes and those suspended (funny eh, at my school if you were suspended you automatically got a 0 on all the work that day).

Those on a school sanctioned trip were not given the extension (seems that they were omitted). The teacher and school (likely principal acting as the school) refused to modify the policy to provide equal treatment to those who were on a trip.

I'd sue if I was her, gotta keep them lawyers employed -- but really she has a valid case.

 

[Thraxen]

Originally posted by: erub
Those who keep saying that the school's policy wasn't followed: the policy was followed in this case, it just didn't specify what happend in the case of school trips. The policy was discriminatory and gave an extension to athletes and those suspended (funny eh, at my school if you were suspended you automatically got a 0 on all the work that day).

Those on a school sanctioned trip were not given the extension (seems that they were omitted). The teacher and school (likely principal acting as the school) refused to modify the policy to provide equal treatment to those who were on a trip.

I'd sue if I was her, gotta keep them lawyers employed -- but really she has a valid case.

Actually, the policy just says that one make-up day per day missed must be given. Athletes and suspended students are just examples given by the lawyer.

 

[Aikouka]

It sounds like some people here never had the "anal teacher" in high school. The one that said if something was due... it was due regardless of where you were... you better have someone available to bring it in or you better turn it in early.

I remember having a leaf project such as this in high school (although it was in ninth grade Earth Science). The project was a long term project which meant you had plenty of time to do it. It isn't like the example that someone gave earlier of something given Monday and due on Wednesday. I'd presume that the people also got a decent amount of time (probably two weeks?) and based on that, I'd say it should've been turned in early or had an arrangement made to have someone else bring it in or to get permission to turn it in later.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Originally posted by: erub
Those who keep saying that the school's policy wasn't followed: the policy was followed in this case, it just didn't specify what happend in the case of school trips. The policy was discriminatory and gave an extension to athletes and those suspended (funny eh, at my school if you were suspended you automatically got a 0 on all the work that day).

Those on a school sanctioned trip were not given the extension (seems that they were omitted). The teacher and school (likely principal acting as the school) refused to modify the policy to provide equal treatment to those who were on a trip.

I'd sue if I was her, gotta keep them lawyers employed -- but really she has a valid case.

Actually, the policy just says that one make-up day per day missed must be given. Athletes and suspended students are just examples given by the lawyer.

Correct.

Of course we're all assuming that the lawyer is accurately describing the school policy.

 

[imported_Imp]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Originally posted by: erub
Those who keep saying that the school's policy wasn't followed: the policy was followed in this case, it just didn't specify what happend in the case of school trips. The policy was discriminatory and gave an extension to athletes and those suspended (funny eh, at my school if you were suspended you automatically got a 0 on all the work that day).

Those on a school sanctioned trip were not given the extension (seems that they were omitted). The teacher and school (likely principal acting as the school) refused to modify the policy to provide equal treatment to those who were on a trip.

I'd sue if I was her, gotta keep them lawyers employed -- but really she has a valid case.

Actually, the policy just says that one make-up day per day missed must be given. Athletes and suspended students are just examples given by the lawyer.

Correct.

Of course we're all assuming that the lawyer is accurately describing the school policy.

Indeed. We get a few statements from the school board's lawyer, but this article is media biased towards how sad it is for the student. I just reread it too, and note again that the "class had ample notice that late submissions would not be accepted". If that doesn't say 'you will fail if you don't hand it in on time' then someone needs her grades rechecked.

Also, hate to say it, but she is not an athlete or suspended. If suspended, you're essentially barred from setting foot on school property, so it'd be impossible to hand it in. It is also 'unforeseen'. Athletes, yes it's bs that they get special treatment, but where the hell have they been for the last couple decades? As wrong as it is, it's a fact that they have and will be handfed favours in exchange for representing the school (well in the US at least).

And finally, I hope this case is used for future reference by any school or employer. This way, they'll know that if the sh!t hits the fan, this person can't deal and will opt to sue if things don't go her way.

 

[jupiter57]

Well, in a way I can relate:
I busted my hump in High School in order to graduate in my Junior year.
One day before final grades, my Biology teacher told me I had to re-do completely my "Notebook" (a 200 page, spiral-bound that we had to keep with our own sketches and notes) because it was "Sloppy"! (I have bad penmanship)
I tried, but had to give it up in the wee hours of the morning when I saw I was barely 1/4 way through it in 7 hours and school started in less than 3 hours.
Totally killed my acceptance to the Air Force Academy, had to Freakin' enlist!

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Jeraden
Here in the real world, if I have a project due on friday and I'm not going to be in the office on friday, I make sure I have it done thursday.

But, but, but, what if you're out of the office on Friday because the boss sent you to a seminar? It's a work-related absence. Booohoooo you should get until Monday to turn it in.



On another note, I've never been quite so strict about due dates. However, I think a lot of you are overlooking something - suppose the teacher in that class had been saying for the past month and a half, "If you're going to be on that trip the day it's due, you're going to have to turn it in on Monday so that it won't be late." And, suppose that the other forerunner for valedictorian is also in the class and also was on the trip. However, the other contender DID turn it in on time.

Note: "funny eh, at my school if you were suspended you automatically got a 0 on all the work that day" - illegal in most states.

And, one other note, I work in a school district with a very similar policy (about turning in work after being out.) However, the intent of the policy is not quite as you guys are interpreting it. If a student is present in the school building on the day an assignment is due, they are responsible for it, period. If they get an assignment on Wednesday 8th period that's due Thursday 8th period, it doesn't matter that their sports team left an hour early on Wednesday. They had the whole day to see what assignment would be missed. They're still responsible for having it done on Thursday. In the case of an out of school suspension, they are not allowed in the school that day, thus they are given the extra day.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
They are absolutely right to sue, despite the slew of knee jerk posts. She turned an assignment in a day late because she was on a SCHOOL TRIP. If she was an athlete off playing in some game, she would not have recieved the F. T

hey should be suing for the correct grade, but there's nothing wrong with punitive damages- the school needs to be taught a lesson. Boohoo it will take money away from stadiums and trips to Disneyworld!!

Guess what, in real life, ALA the working world, a deadline is a deadline. If the teacher told the class turn in your project on the 17th no exceptions, then it means, NO EXCEPTIONS. Amazingly enough some teachers act like hard asses not to be dicks, but to actually get the kids to learn what life is going to be like.
I couldn't be a teacher with the way a lot of parents are nowadays, as it is I'm forbidden from going to any PTA meetings at our kids' school because of me calling out dumb parents in the past.

If I miss a deadline at work by a day, nothing happens. They don't fire me, they don't "fail" me. It may make me look bad, but likely just means the work couldn't be done in the time allotted. It'd be better if I told my manager I was going to miss the deadline, but it's not always easy to know ahead of time if you're going to hit a date, because unexpected problems come up.

By the same token, they're not teaching her anything about the "real" (working) world by applying rules differently to different people. If a company fired one person for an infraction that another person committed and was not punished for, that company is setting itself up for a lawsuit.

ya, i don't really get this Real world is soo much tougher than school cr@p.

frankly, i do much better in the real world than i did in school. there is a lot more leeway in the real world than there is in school, a lot more room for interpretation and a better chance to explain your interpretation.

i hated that in school, answers were right or wrong based on whether you read the teachers interpretation or not.

 

[Dessert Tears]

Originally posted by: mugs
Of course we're all assuming that the lawyer is accurately describing the school policy.

In case anyone missed it, montanafan described the state policy more precisely, although it seems that an interpretation can be made for either side:

Originally posted by: montanafan, emphasis added
Yeah, that's part of the problem here. The girl's lawyer is not quoting the actual policy which is a state policy. It says that a student who has ANY absence has to be given the same amount of time to complete any assignments for the days they missed. So if they missed Monday and Tuesday, you give them the assignments on Wednesday and can require that the Monday assignment must be turned in on Thursday and the Tuesday one on Friday. (And yes, I do teach in the same state.)

I guess in this particular case the girl's lawyer could argue that if the class was given say, 7 days to complete the assignment and the girl's absence caused her to only have 5 days to complete it, then she should be allowed the two more days to complete it. The school though could argue that because the assignment was not given on the days she missed, but much earlier, the rule doesn't apply here.

 

[50cent1228]

lol omg!