Dalinghaus Say "Bye-Bye, Money!"

 

After my decision to enroll my children in a different school than the local public school, I got this letter:

"The Board of Education of USD 380 approves and supports the intent of KSA 72-1113 which recognizes that regular school attendance is essential to the complete education of each student. Truancy is defined as any three consecutive unexcused absences, any five unexcused absences in a semester or seven unexcused absences in a school year, whichever comes first. Since we have received no records for A, B, or C, they in turn have seven unexcused absences since the beginning of  school. We have received records requests for D and E. If A, B, and C have been enrolled in another school we need a records request from that institution, or if you have decided to home school them, you will need to register with the Kansas State Department of Education. If you choose to do neither, the truancy report will be continued by the county attorney.

Once a report is filed with the county attorney, an investigation shall begin. If the county attorney
determines that your child is not attending school as required by law, the county attorney shall prepare and file a petition alleging that your child is a child in need of care. If, during the investigation, the county attorney determines that a criminal investigation is necessary, the county attorney shall commence the same. If there is anything we need to know about their attendance, feel free to call me at the school to discuss it at 785-292-4486. Dean Dalinghaus, Principal"

My, my. Dean Dalinghaus is really having a hard time saying "Bye-Bye" to the money which was brought into the school by the enrollment of my six children. I went ahead and corrected his spelling errors and his grammatical errors, but left his badly punctuated sentences as he wrote them. I also substituted the names of my children with sequential letters of the alphabet. I guess I should begin the rebuttal of Dalinghaus's nonsense at the beginning, in the first sentences. I agree that regular attendance is essential to complete education, but so is presence, and when my daughter was missing, rather than present, for a whole afternoon because the guidance counselor abandoned her alongside a highway four miles south of the school, then failed to tell anyone when he could not find her, Dalinghaus was not at all concerned about my daughter's absence. Why is he so concerned about anyone's absence now? We all know the answer to that: enrollment dollars! Dean Dalinghaus is an enrollment dollar whore! But the truth is, my children have not been truant or absent at all, because they attend a different school. Their transcripts were obtained via the superintendent before school started, because no one cared to countenance the sight of Dean Dalinghaus and his silly and annoying et els at Frankfort School, especially after seeing friends, family and others over the summer, who are nicer than Frankfort School staff and do not look and act like carbon copies of each other.

The second silly-assed notion entertained by this principal is that he ought to file a report with the county attorney about our choice of a different school! While the county attorney, sure enough, hates my guts, (hahahahahaha!) she has her own problems with the Kansas Bar Association, at the moment. Chances are, she did not share that information with Dean Dalinghaus, but investigating yours truly for failing to commit a crime is probably not on her agenda, and probably not the best career move for our county attorney, at this time. Not that such a thing would ordinarily stop her, but she may wish to hang on to her ability to practice law!

The idea that a parent is obligated, by law, to use a public school is incorrect. A parent may send children to boarding school, private school, correspondence schools, internet schools, private tutors, or home school. When one tries another brand of toothpaste, the marketers of the former brand do not harass the consumer over the new preference. When one trades in a vehicle, and purchases a different make, there are no threats of arrest from the makers of the old vehicle. One is even free to change cable companies, buy a different cell phone, or go elsewhere for medical care! Dean Dalinghaus's opinion that I owe my patronage to his sorry excuse for a school is akin to MSN trying to tell  customers that they MUST stick with Windows 98, no matter which computer is selected! I don't have to send my children to Dean's racist, substandard institution, where bullies rule and teachers serve beer to students at their homes! (two teachers of whom I personally know, although the number is probably higher) I also do NOT have to send my children to a school where the guidance counselor buys cigarettes for children on field trips. Yes, folks, that actually happened. And as for the guns that go into the building or wait in vehicles belonging to students during hunting season.......yes, it happens at Frankfort.........no loving parent knowingly exposes a child to that!

Seriously; the best thing Dean Dalinghaus can do for Frankfort School is resign, after making a recommendation of permanently closing it to the school board. The best thing he can do for himself is to get over himself, stop harassing customers who have taken their business elsewhere, relax, and say "Bye-Bye, Money" to the funds which would have been earmarked for his institution, had he chosen to treat me with respect.