you as a parent have the right to teach your kids what they need to know;not some goverment lacky. Hunting and fishing should be taught to every kid in all schools. Hunting and fishing trips with kids is FAMILY time. I would tell the school lackys to piss off.

Interesting comments by everyone: responsibility, learning experience, bonding time with a parent, etc. All great points. However, the policy was made for those parents who are not responsible, see no reason to spend time with their children or kids who have no interest in getting an education because it has no value to the people who conceived them.That being said, no one has said that he or she would go to the Board of Education to petition a revision to the policy. As usual, a number of respondents decided to bash education or the school district. That's not going to do anything but make you feel better. If there's a problem with a policy or education it's our fault because we would rather grouse about it then to get involved and do something about it. I was involved in the same situation as a teenager. Both my parents worked in the school system. The district had the same policy and consequences. My parents let it go one time and it meant the world to me. There's the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. And then there is abuse of the law. Unfortunately, the bad apples, while numbering a few, stink up the rest of the barrel.

Matt Stumpf makes a very valid, albeit, unpopular point.I hunted some with a fellow at one point in my life that found education in general laughable! He was the sort that would tell you, "I'm gonna go kill a deer!", and within an hour or two would return with one, or two. Limits to him were just another meaningless number.To spend any time around him, you think he's a standup kinda guy. Get him around his family and it adds a whole new meaning to the term, "dysfunctional".Would education have helped him? Probably not! But he would have been an excellent pro-education poster child!Jeff Foxworthy says a Redneck is: "The glorious absence of sophistication!" For this guy, it should be, "The glorious, oblivious disdain of education AND sophistication!"Keep 'em in school. Between "Fall break", "T'giving break" and "Christmas break", they should have plenty (maybe not enough for them!) of hunting time. I know I did!Sure they might miss a big buck. But with an education, they will be employable to the point of affording their own "chartered" hunting trip!BubbaP.S. Wish I'd gotten a better education myself!

I think there is no issue. At least this kid has one of the few dads like I am lucky to have, one who cares about school. The kid had to have good marks, and arrangements for work were made. If this kid had A's and B's, it tells me something: He was responsible and can handle catching up. I do this all of the time. Teachers do not care, as long as you are responsible.Kudos to the father. He is one of the good ones around.

Matt;To be short, sweet and to the point......SCREW the STATE funded idiocy......I am a parent of 3 skrewel age kids....public skrewels SUCK...and for the state to even THINK they have ANY say in the hows, whys and wherefores to the raising MY kids simply PROVES how UNfree we are in this nation!!What was it i heard when i attempted to take my eldest out for a week in deer camp!?!? I heard and i quote "Well sir, We find that parents are NOT qualified to teach their children." PROVING that the state run "education system" are little more than Gulags! Training up perfect little red commies trained to march to any beat of the drum the state demands, whilst stamping out ANY bit of free thought.I learned more about math in my career WELDING than i EVER did in that damn skrewel!!Take a kid hunting and give them a true EDUCATION!

If a kid misses school, for whatever the reason, they are absent. That means not there. If they are not there, they are not learning what the state requires of them to learn. It doesn't matter if it is hunting, fishing, karate or Disney world. Get off the schools backs and talk to the people you elected to put more unreasonable demands on an already overworked and underpaid group of people. If you are a welder, you can arrange to have whatever time off you need, but if it is a critical time, you probably aren't going to get it. It's the same with school. We have basically 180 days to teach these kids what they need to know to pass these stupid tests. Every day they aren't there is basically a test question missed. You be the adult and arrange your schedule around your child. You know the rules. Be an example, and if this involves hunting close to home on weekends, instead of taking him on a chartered mule deer hunt to Colorado, you have taught him a valuable lesson. Responsibilty sucks, but it's a part of growing up.

Kids should be able to leave their school for a trip like that whenever the hell they want! Fishing and hunting trips encourage kids to get good grades and to get out to the wilderness. When they get out to the wilderness they realise why it's important to clean up for yourself and recycle. Being in the wilderness improoves your overall personal being. Kids especially should be able to leave school for a trip of that greatness. That's how you pervent stupidity. (referring to the boy who got shot geese hunting)

The only break in my education was the time i spent in school

This just leads me to believe further that the school thinks that the only learning in life is done in a classroom. In real life learning is not confined to class and extends well beyond any formal classroom schooling. I can't think of a better learning experience than going hunting and spending quality time with a child doing something that is loved by child and parent. Those memories will carry farther than a couple days of public schooling

when i was a child if we had school on opening day that was just tough sh@#t for the school board. we always packed the truck and went to camp reguardless of what the school thought.When my children are of age i will do the same thing and if the school doesn't like it i will home school them. People we need to take our rights back from these assholes

Like most situations involving children and situations like this, special consideration is needed. Does the child deserve to go? How are their grades in school? Is hunting a reward for some action? Is it a once in a lifetime opportunity? Etc.I missed days growing up, but only due to good behavior & grades. I will reward my children with the same and excuse any student who acts accordingly.

My son who is "just" seven years old, and we live in Ohio, has gone hunting with me(as an observer and a pretty damn good scout!).We sit in the blind and talk about school, his teachers, and various topics as they pertain to school and family, to me this is a one-on-one teacher/student conference that we could not do at home. There are things in the woods that are taught at school that honestly you cannot learn until you see or experience them first hand(ie; "why does a doe flag her tail and keep looking behind her?"-Are there a flock of turkeys on the forest floor when a huge group of crows directly above them are carrying on as only crows do?-P.S. there are!!" etc...)This can only be learned first hand. Now everytime my children see a bunch of crows overhead,they immediately look to the ground below them(I think that's cool!!IMO)Back to the point, I think it's OK to take your child out of school to learn a new idea(he should get credit for it too)

I'm a junior in Michigan, we are allowed 7 absences per trimester as long as they are legit excuses, not just skipping. We are allowed to fill out a pre-areranged absence were we get signed permission form taechers and all of our work, we then meet with the principle who oks or denies the trip. However, if you miss more than seven days 20% grade reduction.

I live and hunt in wyoming. Growing up if my grades were good I was pulled out to go hunting. My mom never lied to the school but she would just tell them I would be gone for a couple days.It used to be that kids got out for time to harvest the crops or move the cattle why not to hunt for food too.Brent

I really don't think taking your kids out of school just to go hunting is really legit.Did I ever take my kids out of school to go hunting? Yep!Both my kids worked in the office as seniors in HS. Both had it explained to them the "butts in seats....." thing.My kids never missed more than 1 day of school. My oldest had an opportunity to attend a function, not school related that required missing 4 days. When the principle was informed, HE scheduled make up work with appropriate teachers and OK'd the whole she-bang! Guess you need folks that can think instead of be sphincter muscles!Bubba

This P.C. bullcrap world needs a good, swift kick in the kiester. The kid was doing well, the father let the teacher know, what the hell is the problem? Red tape beaurocratic bull crap is the problem! And I thought stupidity was only to be found in the liberals of my hometown of NYC...this disease has affected WYOMING, TOO??!!! Sad. Oh so very sad. Shame on the administrators of that school!

It should be fine to take a few days off from school to go hunting. I am a grad student at Nebraska and I have taken several days off school to go hunting throughout my academic career. I worked 14+ hour days trying to get ahead in my coursework the week preceeding deer season this year and was rewarded by being able to go home where I harvested a trophy buck. If the student works hard all year and has good grades they should be rewarded by being excused to go hunting. As long as they do not abuse the privelage there should be no problems.

Makes no sense to me. It's one thing if the kids are out and parents are not involved, but as a parent it's MY choice if my kid attends or doesn't attend.The father met with the teacher, made appropriate arrangements, and essentially did everything right. There's no rational reason for the school district to react as it did.There is a reason, however. Someone else pegged it. Funding is based on butts in seats... not on logic or reason. If they don't meet a certain average, then funding is threatened. That, by the way, is NOT the doing of the school board, but of the Federal Goobermint.

I have this problem every October, November, and December. Every year me and my stepdad head up to Georgia to hunt the first week of the season, some time around Thanksgiving, and some time around Crhistmas. I always get in trouble in school about. I believe all schools should give some vacation time for students to allow us to hunt.

hunter61Any thoughts on how unexcused absences affect school funding? As I understand it in Ohio, one of the variables used in calculating the state funding of local school districts is attendance. Is it an automatic assumption that an unexcused absence results in decreased funding?If so, then those who declared: "follow the money" on this story may be correct.

Sounds like every one agrees on this one. although I do not condone lying I would call in sick to keep my son or myself from having to pay the ridiculous consequences. Providing he has good grades the work can or already is made up.

Another reason added to the list of reasons why I suspect most people with any sort of administrative power are nucking futs.

if the kids grades are good and they can make up their work then i say screw the school district rules. take a kid hunting.

My kid's school is the same way.School dismisses @ 3:10. If I pull my child out anytime before that time, he or she will be marked as tardy on their attendance record.I talked with the principal about it and he told me the police about absences and tardies was put in place to make parents quit taking their kids on vacations and missing days of school or picking their kids up early and disrupting classes without consequences. That and schools won't receive their full amount of federal and state monies if children are absent too often.So what does a parent do? If you want to take your kid on a vacation or hunt, I guess you have to lie and call in everyday and tell the school your kid is sick.And before everyone jumps all over me, look @ the realities of life. In the realm of money, business and sports, cheaters win.It's all about the money.Period.

At this point, homeschooling sounds very appealing... I enjoy the freedom of being able to hunt more often. As long as I fulfill my school requirements, and fill the freezer, my main teacher is fine with me hunting