unexcused absence?

This is a bit of a school rant, but not about the wonderful TEACHERS my kids have had.

It's about confusing administrative decisions.

Because seriously, at this point I am barely limping over the finish line of my oldest kid's senior year.  Just hoping my head won't explode in an inappropriate way and jeopardize her graduation.

This is the first of two AP testing weeks.  The end of 9 months of hard work wrapped into a two hour test for each class (kind of like giving birth to a child, but less messy and you get more sleep afterwards).  Ace is taking 6 tests over the next two weeks.

Three "ranty" things about it. 

1.  Our high school scheduled the prom for this coming Saturday night.  WHAT?  The middle weekend of AP testing was the only time they could find to schedule the prom?  The other high school in our district had their prom a month ago.  The physics teacher offered to come and do a tutoring session for the two part four hour exam her class will be taking on Monday.  Whatever, the prom is not required, but a little bit of thought for the academically inclined would have been nice.

2.  Some of the AP tests are scheduled for off site locations.  I have no idea why.  I want to think there is a logical reason. I really really do.

This morning I (and 40 other parents) got a panicked calls from our kids. All 40 calls went something like this.

"Mom you have to call the office to give me permission to leave school so I can go take my AP Psych test over at the church across the street."

Seriously?

The school scheduled 40 kids to take a test someplace other than school and then wouldn't release them en mas to take the test.

Brilliant!!

I called and talked to an annoyed and frazzled secretary, who was trying to talk to 39 other parents on the phone at the same time.  Ace was allowed to leave the school to go to the place the school had reserved, to take a test that the school was having proctored by school staff.

[This is the same school that happily accepted a fee of $89 per test without needing a last minute phone call from me.]

3.  And this is the real kicker.

Later I looked at the online parent website for the school and Ace was credited with an "unexcused absence" for the day.  When I called and asked why it was unexcused I was told it was because unless she has a doctor's note they cannot credit her absence as excused.

Really? 

 I may be the one who needs a doctor at this point.  A doctor of the psychiatric variety.

Something is un-excusable in this situation, but I don't think it's the absence of 40 kids taking an AP exam.