Friday, July 10, 2015

School Issues Terrifying Threat to Parents Who Pick Up Kids Late

A letter that went out to families at an Oregon elementary school had some parents up in arms in this week — and fearing for what would happen should they arrive a few minutes late to student pick-up.
The letter, which was sent from office staff at Swegle Elementary School in Salem, was intended to be a reminder about school procedures for the upcoming academic year. But for some parents, one line in particular jumped out: “Children must be picked up on time. If they are not picked up on time, we will call DHS [Department of Human Services] and you will then have to pick them up at court the next day.”

Another line, this one about the timing of morning drop-off, included similar language: “Please do not drop your children off before [7:40 am]. There will not be any supervision. If children are dropped before 7:40 the staff will call the authorities.”
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This letter, sent to parents of students at Swegle Elementary School, said that DHS would be called if kids weren’t picked up on time. (Photo: Chelsea Eichenauer/Facebook)
On Thursday, Chelsea Eichenauer, whose 5-year-old son Mason will attend Swegle Elementary in the fall, posted the letter, dated June 24, on her Facebook page. She included the note: “Anyone else think this is crazy?! Way too extreme!”

School Issues Terrifying Threat to Parents Who Pick Up Kids Late
Officials at an Oregon elementary school sent a letter home threatening to call authorities if parents pick their kids up late. (Photo: Corbis/Kevin Dodge)
A letter that went out to families at an Oregon elementary school had some parents up in arms in this week — and fearing for what would happen should they arrive a few minutes late to student pick-up.
The letter, which was sent from office staff at Swegle Elementary School in Salem, was intended to be a reminder about school procedures for the upcoming academic year. But for some parents, one line in particular jumped out: “Children must be picked up on time. If they are not picked up on time, we will call DHS [Department of Human Services] and you will then have to pick them up at court the next day.”
Another line, this one about the timing of morning drop-off, included similar language: “Please do not drop your children off before [7:40 am]. There will not be any supervision. If children are dropped before 7:40 the staff will call the authorities.”
image
This letter, sent to parents of students at Swegle Elementary School, said that DHS would be called if kids weren’t picked up on time. (Photo: Chelsea Eichenauer/Facebook)
On Thursday, Chelsea Eichenauer, whose 5-year-old son Mason will attend Swegle Elementary in the fall, posted the letter, dated June 24, on her Facebook page. She included the note: “Anyone else think this is crazy?! Way too extreme!”
“My heart kind of skipped a beat a little bit, it’s pretty scary,” Eichenauer told KOIN News. “It would traumatize my little boy to death if he couldn’t come home one night.”
Eichenauer didn’t respond to Yahoo Parenting’s request for comment.
In response to Eichenauer’s Facebook post, fellow parents expressed concern. “If they would put your child through that scary of a situation (‘Oops, your bad mom is 3 minutes late. I’m taking you to the CRC center and you have to stay overnight with people you don’t know, kids you don’t know, and you can’t see your family until the morning’) think of what unimaginable things they could/would be doing to your child,” wrote one parent.
“I would be putting my kid in another school,” added another commenter. “Especially if they plan on putting any child through that type of stress.” Yet another critic noted, “Of course people want to pick their kids up on time but sometimes things happen.” 

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