I agree, this has always bugged the tar out of me, how schools seem to assume you can drop everything in the middle of a workday anytime they feel like scheduling something during one.

I'm in complete agreement here. My daughter's school has her Meet the Teacher time from 9:30am to 10:30am on Friday. They fail to realize that parents do work and it's rather difficult to make it to events like this. When I was younger, my school had events such as these scheduled in the evening hours.

My daughter doesn't start Kindy until next year (her daycare center is a voucher school for VPK) but I've been watching the school website to see how things go down so that I'm mentally prepared for next year. (schedule, supplies, etc.)

But I couldn't believe how inconvenient to working parents this is! The elementary school in Palm Beach County my daughter will be going to requires not one day of your attention but two completely different days.

Registration on Aug. 5, 7, 12 or 14: 8-12 and 1-4
Meet The Teacher Aug. 15: 1-3 p.m (seriously - lunch time? Why not 8-10am or 3-5pm? Give me a break)

As you mention, I am one that works in one county and lives in another, due to the fact that my husband works in the opposite direction. It's a 45 minute drive on way. I'm already resigned to the fact that I will never be a "room mom" or very rarely a field trip chaperone.

But to put important events, requiring my attendance, smack in the middle of the day, is just annoying!

And I have only 1 chld - I feel sorry for working parents that might have kids in different schools.

There are so many different meetings that parents can attend at schools. Such as, PTA, SAC, parent conferences, meet the teacher before school starts, open house, workshops and so many more. If you think about it it really is impossible to schedule them all for times that are more convenient. I think it is taking it to personal to think the schools only like stay at home moms. I am a teacher and a working mom, so I understand both sides. Teachers arrive at 7:00 in the morning so asking them to even stay until 5:30 is a 10 1/2 hour day. We do it several times a year for open house, academic expo nights, some workshops, two PTA meetings, but to expect teachers to do this for ALL possible meetings that parents can go to is a little unreasonable. I think the only thing parents can do is pick and choose what is most important for them to attend and take personal hours from work as needed. When I need to have a conference or attend a meeting with my son's teacher I have to get a sub for my class and take time off. I hate to have to do this and my principal doesn't love me being away from work but it's important to me and my son. I will work with parents that have hourly pay jobs that might not have personal or sick hours to use.
As for Erin I find it a little odd how you complain that hours aren't convenient for you but then complain when it is during your lunch. How about eating in the car one day a year as you drive to your child's school to meet her teacher.

Yes I totally agree. Schools are being a little bit unacceptable. All the volunteer works and PTA meetings...

"As for Erin I find it a little odd how you complain that hours aren't convenient for you but then complain when it is during your lunch. How about eating in the car one day a year as you drive to your child's school to meet her teacher."

I also mentioned that I work 45 minutes away! My company does not allow for me to take a THREE HOUR lunch (an hour to get get to my daughter and get to the school and time needed to do what I need to do at the school and an hour to get my daughter back to daycare and myself back to work - forget about any food!)

I would need to leave work at 12 noon just be the there at 1pm - I can't even put in a half day at work - forget about going back afterwards. Thus I Have been told in those situations I just need to take the whole day off!

Seriously can you not see that some parents do not work 5 minutes away from school and home?

I listed four registrations sessions - you are telling me one of those could not have been in the evening?

And don't tell I need to more closer to work because my husband works 45 minutes in the opposite direction we live smack in the middle!

I'm not asking for every little voluntary PTA activity to be scheduled at the most convenient time. I'm just asking that the three basics - registration, meet the teacher and quarterly parent/teacher conferences - the things that NEED to occur are scheduled at a more flexible time to the greatest amount of parents.

Also it's not 1 day a year - add up all the in-service days, vacation holidays (fall/spring break), child sick days - a working parents runs out of vacation time real quick when you only have two or three weeks of vacation. Not every parent has the convenience of grandparents to watch our little ones every time there is a day off school. You see one day - I see the whole year.

Sorry this is a red button issue with me so I needed to get it out. :)

Please don't have children if you are not prepared to be the parent rather than evening care. As a parent, you are required to be available to be at whatever is necessary during your child's upbringing. That includes school meetings. You can't complain because you choose to work rather than be the parent. Too many parents have children, only to hire others to raise them.

I've been part of the PTA for years now, so maybe I can give the opposite point of view.
Our meetings are mostly at night; people complain because they coincide with sporting activities, other school meetings, etc., so we tried sceduling some events during the daytime only to run into the attitudes expressed here.
The simple fact is that no matter when something is scheduled it is going to be inconvenient for SOMEONE, and when it's an event requiring teachers to remain at the school beyond their usual time that's going to be factored into the decision.

Teachers work 9 months a year for a full time paycheck and rarely work 8 hours during the 180 days they work. Seems their pay should be cut to reflect the lack of duty on their part.

Prove me wrong and move the meetings to a reasonable time in the evening.

The average parent works 260 days a year vs a teachers 180 days a year. To be fair the teachers should be willing to work 11.5 hours a day.

The average parent also doesn't have a job that ties up about 90% of their time, between meetings,required continuing education, grading papers, creating lesson plans, leading after school clubs, etc.
And name me one other business where the employees have to go out and buy their own supplies, as well as supplies for 20 or more other people throughout the year.
Yes, teachers are off during the summer just as the kids are; however, many of them have a second job that they work, because unless you have been a teacher for a long time you aren't making anywhere near the salaries reported in the newspapers. So yeah, if meeting times seem to be skewed just a bit in the teacher's favor, I think they deserve it.

Yes and it's of course possible that Mums who go out to work can offer their kids a more rounded world view. Kids who spend more time in community care can have better social skills too.

To 8/20 Parent --
You obviously teach in the wrong school district. Our teachers are arriving right alongside the kids -- at 8:30 in the morning (except for a few on traffic duty). They have an expense account but still ask parents to donate everything. Sure they have menial tasks to do -- but they are quite adept at passing them off to the non paid volunteer moms whom they have learned to exploit. Perhaps you should re-think your career choice. The original poster is spot on.

I realize this email thread is a little bit old, but I'm running into the same thing in California. I wish more parents would speak up loudly about this. This week is 'registration packet pick up' week at my HS student's school. The times available to pick up these required registration materials are between 9am and 3pm, Monday and Tuesday. Huh? Do they not want working parents to enroll their students? I work in the Silicon Valley, an hour away from my son's school and can't get there to pick it up. I called the school and asked what their backup plan was for working parents or families on vacation. The registrar said there was none and that no other parent had ever complained before - this is our first mistake - we all need to complain loudly about this. I asked her to mail the packet - no money. I asked her to leave it outside the door - can't do that. I asked why they can't distribute these materials when parents are available before or after work - she said she had working hours too: they were 9am to 3pm. Definitely discriminatory against working parents but the challenge is that school employees don't see this as an issue - they just 'don't get it'.

In my case, the registrar's solution was to have a friend or neighbor or my son come pick it up. I'm suprised this (and those Wednesday, 9am PTA meetings) hasn't come before the courts yet. The schools cannot rely on parents having a network of unemployeed friends and neighbors as part of their standard operating procedure to ensure students get registered.

I realize this email thread is a little bit old, but I'm running into the same thing in California. I wish more parents would speak up loudly about this. This week is 'registration packet pick up' week at my HS student's school. The times available to pick up these required registration materials are between 9am and 3pm, Monday and Tuesday. Huh? Do they not want working parents to enroll their students? I work in the Silicon Valley, an hour away from my son's school and can't get there to pick it up. I called the school and asked what their backup plan was for working parents or families on vacation. The registrar said there was none and that no other parent had ever complained before - this is our first mistake - we all need to complain loudly about this. I asked her to mail the packet - no money. I asked her to leave it outside the door - can't do that. I asked why they can't distribute these materials when parents are available before or after work - she said she had working hours too: they were 9am to 3pm. Definitely discriminatory against working parents but the challenge is that school employees don't see this as an issue - they just 'don't get it'.

In my case, the registrar's solution was to have a friend or neighbor or my son come pick it up. I'm suprised this (and those Wednesday, 9am PTA meetings) hasn't come before the courts yet. The schools cannot rely on parents having a network of unemployeed friends and neighbors as part of their standard operating procedure to ensure students get registered.