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Legal experts on the board. What’s to stop me from getting an attorney if schools go back

Fully online.
Could I get an attorney and argue that I do not want my son to be taught in that kind of setting. Therefore he could sit out this school year, then start back next school season when classes will be fully in person again. I really think our kids futures are at stake. The online garbage will put them further and further behind. A dangerous , slippery slope .
Don't be surprised if we are witnessing the new norm.
 
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Short answer is you don't have a viable claim that would yield any financial remedy. Taxpayer standing is usually limited. And government clearly has broad authority to make decisions when dealing with emergencies and pandemics. The filing would be cathartic and some lawyer would be happy to make a little money but you won't get anywhere. Without knowing what grade and schooling options you have it is hard to give more practical advice. Sorry, wish there was a better answer. I know these are very tough times and this is yet another element of other it. Hang in there.
 
Imo, the way to approach this to return to school is to do none if the assigned online work. This would be difficult to do and 180 degrees from how I was raised and approach things. However, it is very likely that grades will be pass/fail and I've yet to encounter a public school that fails very many kids regardless of what they do or don't do. Not doing online assignments will reflect poorly on the teacher/school as they try to convince everyone that they are providing a quality education. The more one can convince to do this, the more pressure is put on the school.
If worried about eligibility next year, most states I'm familiar with waived the requirements for this fall and all were eligible.
Worried about standardized test scores?- they're becoming a thing of the past as well, as many colleges offer admission without ACT or SAT.
Schools are humiliated with low graduation, low attendance, and high dropout rates. Humiliate them and you may have better options.
This is certainly tongue in cheek. I would never recommend sabotaging your child's education in any respect or degree, much less on such a hope of how folks will see the error of their ways. If anything, this is indeed a time to look at what additional educational resources can be applied to ensure your child is not losing ground, and can perhaps even get ahead. Good luck.
 
Short answer is you don't have a viable claim that would yield any financial remedy. Taxpayer standing is usually limited. And government clearly has broad authority to make decisions when dealing with emergencies and pandemics. The filing would be cathartic and some lawyer would be happy to make a little money but you won't get anywhere. Without knowing what grade and schooling options you have it is hard to give more practical advice. Sorry, wish there was a better answer. I know these are very tough times and this is yet another element of other it. Hang in there.

This . In times of an emergency such as a pandemic, the government can do what it believes is reasonably necessary to protect public safety. Lawyers can argue and argue this until you run out of patience and money...
 
Fully online.
Could I get an attorney and argue that I do not want my son to be taught in that kind of setting. Therefore he could sit out this school year, then start back next school season when classes will be fully in person again. I really think our kids futures are at stake. The online garbage will put them further and further behind. A dangerous , slippery slope .
I would argue you have 2 main options if you do not want the online school, which most public schools will be easy and very little learning (so I agree with you there).

1. Send them to private school this year. Do your research, some have really solid academic plans, while others are not better than the public schools.
2. Sit your child out this year. Families have kids retake 6th or 7th grade (or hold them back earlier) primarily for sports. Why not do the same for academics. I know a family whose son was good at football. He blew out his knee really bad. He took the next 10 months off to get his knee right, and then went back to school at the same grade level as when he got hurt. He simply dropped out of school for medical reasons.
 
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This is a really good question and point being made by OP. While other professions have largely returned to work, teachers unions are doing what they can to not come in to work. If I am not mistaken the Republicans relief bill includes money for schools. If schools won't reopen then the money can be used for parents to pay for private schools.
For about the millionth time on this forum, teacher’s unions, particularly in the South and especially in Tennessee have little to no power/influence.
 
Fully online.
Could I get an attorney and argue that I do not want my son to be taught in that kind of setting. Therefore he could sit out this school year, then start back next school season when classes will be fully in person again. I really think our kids futures are at stake. The online garbage will put them further and further behind. A dangerous , slippery slope .
Do what a good friend of mine is doing if possible ... Home School for a year
 
No, not force schools to open. The scenario was my son sitting out a year because of inadequate education options by our county. As of right now he is scheduled to go back August 5th. Hopefully that remains the case...

I think it would be really hard to convince a judge or jury that staying out of school for a year would be better than attending online. Bear in mind, I’m sympathetic to your situation. I have a 7-year-old son and we want him in school. But teachers are in a different situation risk wise and it’s just going to be a tough deal until there’s a legit vaccine.
 
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Don’t know if true. But people in Memphis are suing the mayors office

heard it was mainly restaurant owners
 
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Home School and then enroll him next year in this years grade. Guessing he is younger
and smaller than most in his grade. The only way he would be bigger sports is to hold
him back. Just home school and give him jump start for next year.
 
No more than the online garbage. It’s a total waste of time

Some home school systems combine on line classes plus meeting in small groups led by qualified teachers a few days per week. My next door neighbors use this system. Their kids are in “class” 4-5 hours per day three days per week.
 
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Home School and then enroll him next year in this years grade. Guessing he is younger
and smaller than most in his grade. The only way he would be bigger sports is to hold
him back. Just home school and give him jump start for next year.
He’s high school age. He plays 2 sports and starts in both. So that has nothing to do with it ...
 
He’s high school age. He plays 2 sports and starts in both. So that has nothing to do with it ...


I think you've gotten your answer and some honest feedback. You stand to gain very little with legal avenues and would almost certainly spend considerably more money doing so than just placing your son in a private school for the year or hiring a well qualified FT at home tutor for the year.

To really challenge something of this nature, you are probably talking six figure $$. Wouldn't that be better spent having a private school education for the year?
 
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You, might have a case if you requested funding for your family if you are providing services that schools would normally provide such as managing learning after the delivery of an online lesson. Question is whether you want to spend that time. Believe me, I am writing down the time which I am spending just in case. Personally, I believe a savvy parent could probably win money similar to a paraprofessional - for each child they have. Not a terrible question, but probably terribly expensive to pursue.
 
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Just pull your kid out an home school zir. Next year, assuming "normal" school resumes, enroll zir in the appropriate grade at your normal school district. You don't need an attorney for this.
zir? I think I missed something.
 
Some school systems are opening full go. Will be interesting to see their numbers after a few weeks. Will also be interesting to see how schools treat it when kids get the flu.
 
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Fully online.
Could I get an attorney and argue that I do not want my son to be taught in that kind of setting. Therefore he could sit out this school year, then start back next school season when classes will be fully in person again. I really think our kids futures are at stake. The online garbage will put them further and further behind. A dangerous , slippery slope .

I agree with you in principle but you think ZERO school for a year is better than SOME on line school? Having a hard time following that argument.
 
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Teachers should be paid more than the ridiculous paltry sum they have been making for years in this country. If that had been happening, you wouldn't see near the issues we have now with teachers.

Most teachers believe in science, they don't make the money to make the risk they believe they will be dealing with justifiable in showing up to work, and parents showing up and protesting without an actual solution to that problem won't do much good. Your group of parents could always try to bully their way into a school year, but that probably won't work out very well.

I think teachers should make more too but not all of them. The best ones. Make them compete and be accountable and give them the support they need to discipline kids that disrupt class.

In most professions, the better you are at what you do, the more you can profit from it vs. your peers. Unions protect too many average to below average teachers at the expense of the good to great ones and the students.
 
Fully online.
Could I get an attorney and argue that I do not want my son to be taught in that kind of setting. Therefore he could sit out this school year, then start back next school season when classes will be fully in person again. I really think our kids futures are at stake. The online garbage will put them further and further behind. A dangerous , slippery slope .
Get a free consultation and see what options are available.
 
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Because my wife and I have full time jobs. I’m not qualified to home school anyone

So you actually want to sue because you’re not getting state provided daycare? State is required to provide a Free and Appropriate Public Education to all of the kids. They are doing so. You just disagree with what is deemed appropriate right now.

And for the ones saying “just hold them back”. The LEA at the school decides what grade a student goes into, not the parent.

And one more time, these remote starts have very little to do with the teachers. It is about risk management. I know teachers are popular punching bags by the righties, but this is more about the shyt storm that will ensue when a kid gets this when it’s totally preventable. You think the Twitterverse has gone crazy now, just wait for a kid or a family member to die because they brought this home from school.
 
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Fully online.
Could I get an attorney and argue that I do not want my son to be taught in that kind of setting. Therefore he could sit out this school year, then start back next school season when classes will be fully in person again. I really think our kids futures are at stake. The online garbage will put them further and further behind. A dangerous , slippery slope .
I would guess, since i am not a legal expert, that the decision to not have your child/children educated via fully online learning would be accepted as long as you are willing to home school your children. Sitting out the year or the semester is not an option.
 
Oh yeah, I agree with you 100%. That is the most frustrating aspect to me personally in all this, the lack of accountability across school systems in finding ways to work with the current pandemic climate.

It shouldn't just be "online or back to class". Your points are all very valid.

most schools have some level of hybrid options
 
So you actually want to sue because you’re not getting state provided daycare? State is required to provide a Free and Appropriate Public Education to all of the kids. They are doing so. You just disagree with what is deemed appropriate right now.

And for the ones saying “just hold them back”. The LEA at the school decides what grade a student goes into, not the parent.

And one more time, these remote starts have very little to do with the teachers. It is about risk management. I know teachers are popular punching bags by the righties, but this is more about the shyt storm that will ensue when a kid gets this when it’s totally preventable. You think the Twitterverse has gone crazy now, just wait for a kid or a family member to die because they brought this home from school.

I think you make some valid points here, but I really don't want to hear about teachers being punching bags for "righties" without at least acknowledging the California and NC Teachers' Unions (there may be more) refusing to go back to work until demands are met that include:

Moratorium on private schools
Defunding the police
Medicare for All
A Wealth Tax
Welfare for Illegal Immigrants
Moratorium on Rent and Mortgages

I don't care if you believe in some or all of that, it has NOTHING to do with education. Am I to believe the coronavirus is no longer a threat to teachers and students if we have these things?
 
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I think you make some valid points here, but I really don't want to hear about teachers being punching bags for "righties" without at least acknowledging the California and NC Teachers' Unions (there may be more) refusing to go back to work until demands are met that include:

Moratorium on private schools
Defunding the police
Medicare for All
A Wealth Tax
Welfare for Illegal Immigrants
Moratorium on Rent and Mortgages

I don't care if you believe in some or all of that, it has NOTHING to do with education. Am I to believe the coronavirus is no longer a threat to teachers and students if we have these things?

That has nothing to do with Tennessee.
 
How does a child “sit out” a year of their life while mom and dad are at work?

Do they just sit at home and play video games, watch YouTube videos and surf the Internet?
Very hairy palms at the end of the year
 
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I think your best bet would be to get additional parents dissatisfied with online as a plan and protest at the next school board meeting. Make it clear in a large show of support that you feel it’s BS.

Teachers being essential until it was suddenly inconvenient to be essential is the real BS.
8.000 kids in Florida are now positive for COVID.

Loud mouths at school board meetings will not make children safe.
 
I think teachers should make more too but not all of them. The best ones. Make them compete and be accountable and give them the support they need to discipline kids that disrupt class.

In most professions, the better you are at what you do, the more you can profit from it vs. your peers. Unions protect too many average to below average teachers at the expense of the good to great ones and the students.


Agree, coming from someone who's grandmother, mother, step mother and others in family were teachers. For every teacher who says "I come in at 7 am and go home at 5pm and spend all night grading papers and doing lesson plans" there are 5 others that come in at 8:30 and are gone by 3:30 and enjoy those summers.

The disparity is what prevents them from making more and the union hasn't helped at all, anywhere....because it only looks out for the interest of the lot who are uninterested in doing anything above and beyond showing up.

Teachers probably should be paid more but its really difficult to make that argument on the whole given the hours and summers they enjoy. Again, I grew up around teachers that worked hard and cared about the kids. Yes, they deserved more but they also had really nice hours and 3 months per year entirely off.

Address the bare minimum teachers and compensate those who excel. You'll eventually weed out the bad and encourage better performance.
 
I would argue you have 2 main options if you do not want the online school, which most public schools will be easy and very little learning (so I agree with you there).

1. Send them to private school this year. Do your research, some have really solid academic plans, while others are not better than the public schools.
2. Sit your child out this year. Families have kids retake 6th or 7th grade (or hold them back earlier) primarily for sports. Why not do the same for academics. I know a family whose son was good at football. He blew out his knee really bad. He took the next 10 months off to get his knee right, and then went back to school at the same grade level as when he got hurt. He simply dropped out of school for medical reasons.
Private schools may be subject to the same restrictions.
 
567 deaths today according to Worldometers. Last Monday was 524 so they are not too far out of line from last week. Let’s see what the Tuesday data dump looks like, last Tuesday it was 1165
 
8.000 kids in Florida are now positive for COVID.

Loud mouths at school board meetings will not make children safe.
How many kids would you say struggled to find access to breakfast or lunch? It’s a lot more complicated than a virus. Online might be ok for high school, but the American association for pediatrics says the littles should be in the classroom if possible. I’m asking for people to make it possible instead of the quickest most half assed solution like online classes.
 
My son does play two sports, basketball and baseball. But this is for education . He starts on the basketball team and plays a lot in baseball as well. So I’m not trying to give him an advantage that way...

my wife and I thought about this as well. I have 2 boys- oldest plays basketball and baseball and youngest is left handed pitcher. We currently attend private school but my experience with private schools is they generally follow what the public schools decide on these matters. We may just transfer to a private school in South GA- which is within 30 miles of my house anyway.
 
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