Berkeley High Student and Missed school for medical reasons
Hello,
My son, a Berkeley High freshman, may need to miss school to have orthopedic surgery. He would likely miss at least 2-3 weeks. I'm trying to understand what our options would be in terms of keeping him up in school. Looking for advice from parents that have been through something similar. Do teacher's modify work expectations while the student is out or is all work still required to be made up somehow. Is there a temporary online platform he could work with to keep him up? I've also contacted his counselor to see what she says.
Thanks!
Sep 22, 2022
Parent Replies
For planned extended absences there's a temporary independent study plan that requires the signature of each teacher and some administrators. Beyond assignments and communication via google classroom there's no instructional material online as a matter of course (that I'm aware of). My daughter has done this for a week at a time twice, but never longer - I'm not sure what that would mean with respect to expectations and grading, but in her case there were no differences, only flexibility to take any quizzes etc upon her return.
My BHS sophomore missed the first week of school due to having COVID. All teachers were very accommodating and everything was on Google classroom. He could keep up with assignments and the ones he needed help with, the teachers just said they would help him catch up when he got back. Granted this was the first week, so not a whole lot going on. Your student should give his teachers a heads up and see what can be done. I have found the counselors at BHS to be pretty useless. I would talk to the teachers directly first and then if they don't seem accommodating, take it to the vice principal of U9, Tonia Coleman. She's pretty great.
You just need to speak to the office about setting up an individualized instruction plan for your child. That happens all the time. Schools are required to do it by law. It helps the student and it helps the school for attendance and planning purposes.
Here is what Berkeley's 2022-2023 Annual Notice to Parents says: "AVAILABILITY OF INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION/PRESENCE OF PUPIL WITH TEMPORARY DISABILITY IN HOSPITAL (EC §§48206.3, 48207-48208): Individualized instruction is available to students with temporary disabilities whose disability makes attendance in the regular day classes or alternative education program in which the student is enrolled impossible or inadvisable. Parents of students hospitalized or with a temporary disability shall notify the school district(s) where the student attends, resides and/or where the student receives care if an individualized instruction program is desired." (This notice is available online.)