It used to be that you just went to the school that was closest to your house. You might have walked to school or biked with some friends. In some circumstances, you might have even taken the bus into town to go to school. There wasn’t really a lot of fuss about WHERE you went to school, you just simply went.

Recently, a first grader who attends one of the Illinois schools had his right to attend questioned. It seems that, although the boy’s mother has custody, he still stays with his dad three or four nights a week due to the mom’s night-shift nursing job.

Each parent lives in different districts of the Illinois schools; and both districts denied him access.

How pathetic. This boy is living through a difficult time in his life. His parents, no matter what the reasons behind their separation, seem to be doing all they can to make sure he is safe and growing up well. They are obviously concerned for the education he is getting and by having him stay with dad while mom is at work, instead of with a sitter or at daycare, demonstrates to me that they are trying their best.

To have the Illinois schools get involved in this family’s personal life is appalling. What business is it of theirs where the child spends most nights of the week? It seems that the district is being in some ways judgmental. The Illinois schools must have much better things to concern themselves with than sorting out with which parent their six year old students spends nights with..for example test scores. school safety and The No Child Left Behind Act.

Why is this even a school issue? Indeed with parents residing in two separate district actually means that both districts are receiving revenue by way of taxes. This is not to ignore the need and purpose for geographic considerations and school boundaries and these the authority of the school district’s decision in these areas. Kids do need to go to the Illinois schools that are in their neighborhoods. However, surely exceptions and flexibility can be made when a child’s home life is in turmoil and living arrangements are unorthodox.

In times of distress, and divorce certainly qualifies, one thing that a child should be able to rely on is the stability that attending his or her Illinois schools can give. School is a constant, a child knows what to expect each day, and the normalcy is a comfort in the uncertain times of familial upheaval. Many times, parents even turn to the Illinois schools to help their children deal with the stress and emotion of such times. For Illinois schools to refuse education to a child because of a situation such as this is appalling.

On the other hand…

Of course, Illinois schools can’t let everyone go to school wherever they want to. If a climate of school choice is available within an individual district, then so be it. However, most kids do have to attend school in their district, or they must obtain an “exemption”. Surely this could have been done for this young student who only wants to get back to his teacher, his Illinois school and his friends.

Author Bio: Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit Illinois School Ratings – Private and Public.

Category: Education
Keywords: Illinois School Ratings – Private and Public, Illinois School Rankings – Private and Public