Sending siblings to seperate schools?
Hi.
I am wondering if anyone has sent their children to separate schools (for any reason) and how this has worked out for your children and your family?
My 4 yo is currently in an excellent Montessori Preschool, which will give her a full scholarship to an elite (and very expensive!) Montessori elementary school after successfully completing this program for two years. It's an excellent school and I want the same for my 18 month old once he is at the appropriate age. However, the Preschool does not allow non-immunized children to enroll, nor do they accept religious exemption forms. My daughter has received her full course of immunizations, as she is about 3 years older than her sibling and we were pro-vaccinations at the time. However, after having our second child, we made the informed decision to not vaccinate our children going forward.
This is great, but now, my 18 month old will not have the opportunity to attend. We will have to find another Preschool/Elementary school that is great for him .
I really detest the idea of sending my children to different schools. Do any parents have experience with this?
Thanks in advance.
Re: Sending siblings to seperate schools?
My kids are 5 grades apart, so they will mostly go to different schools anyway because of their age difference. However, on top of this, my DD goes to a magnet program. So even for the years when they would have been in school together, she was in a different school. He may get into the magnet program as well, but she'll be in HS by that time. Consequently they'll never attend the same school at the same time.
I thought this would be a big deal, and I was a little concerned about it. It's totally no biggie. The downside: more school events, newsletters, PTA forms, to keep track of. September is a pain because of all the BTS nights I have to attend, logistics can be hard with buses and carpools.
The upside: the younger kid does not have to live in the constant shadow of the older kid. He gets to have a relationship with his teachers and friends that is completely outside of his sister's influence. To me, this benefit to my youngest outweighs the hassles.
Honestly I think it is BS that you are going to claim religious reasons for not vaccinating. That is lying. Do they require full vaccinations or can you do only some? Or can you do tr first round and do tithers? I am having a hand time replying to this though because honestly I think it is wrong to rely on herd immunization a from other people. If your child was unable to get the vaccines it would be different. I think it is fine to not send kids to the same school for legit reasons like Montessori is good only for one of them.
She appears to now be claiming that her religion prevents her from continuing the vaccines.
No, I haven't started looking yet. We won't be enrolling him until he turns 3, however I have been really thinking about it because I am a huge planner.
The Preschool she currently attends are the ones who require vaccinations. The elementary school she will be transferring to will accept the religious exemption form. However, the child has to first attend Preschool to be eligible for the elementary school.
Thank you for your reply! You've really provided me with some great insightful and feedback on your personal experience. I can definitely see how this can be a great experience overall. This reply certainly helps calm my nerves
Excuse me? How is it lying by stating that I do not wish to have my children vaccinated due to my religion and beliefs? Do you know what I believe in? Do you know what my family and I practice?
You are very wrong for coming out and saying that. Truly.
Thank you for your reply! I appreciate it. I am definitely feeling more at ease about this and will continue doing my research to find the best school for my younger child.
I definitely agree with you about the exemption for public schools. The public schools in my area accept the form, but the quality of the education here is just horrible. They are closing schools left and right and it's just not any schools I'd feel 100% comfortable sending my children to that are public. I really pray that I find what I am looking for. Thank you again for your help!
Sorry, but I agree. If your religious beliefs keep you from vaccinating that's fine, but in your OP it sounded as if it was based on research of safety and effectiveness. If it's not for religious reasons, I don't think you should claim religious reasons.
GSx1 - 05/13/2013
GSx2 for T&B - EDD 6/21/2015 - They're having a GIRL!
I agree with this, for two reasons.
1. I made an informed decision *to* vaccinate. I value my children's health at least as much as the quality of their education. I won't go into the reasons because I'm sure you've heard them, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay to send my children to school where their classmates are not vaccinated when I can send them to public school or homeschool for free, with the added bonus that I know the people who teach my children will share my beliefs on what I consider an important issue.
2. As measles, pertussis, and other vaccine-preventable diseases make a comeback, I can't help but anticipate (I'm married to a lawyer, after all), that not requiring vaccinations will become a liability risk for schools. If I were a school administrator, I would absolutely require vaccinations just to cover my butt lest some parent whose kid brought home whooping cough from an unvaccinated classmate and sickened or killed their infant sibling sue my school. My impression, not knowing anything about torts except by osmosis, is that it would be difficult to sue a private individual under such circumstances, but it would be easier to sue a school with lax vaccination policies and at least expect a hefty settlement if the case didn't go to trial.
I may be wrong. Maybe you can find a private school that doesn't require vaccinations. I've never tried. But I think I've outlined two very good reasons they'll be hard to find.
If you're mature enough to make what you consider an informed decision, you'll be mature enough to understand that the people who think you are wrong (and I think you are very wrong, although I am trying to be kind) consider themselves equally informed, and will be very passionate in defending the health of their families. I would not educate or send my child to school with the child of a parent who refused to provide an explanation for their decision. If you made an informed decision, you can articulate the reasons for it, and don't think for a minute that you won't need to do it - if you don't owe it to us, you do owe it to the people whom you are expecting to be your child's classmates and educators.
Baby 2: EDD: 8/06/14 CP: 11/13
Are you planning on trying to use a religious exemption? Have you heard about the case in Brooklyn that didn't go so well for the parents who tried to do that?
My kids were in separate schools/daycare for 2 years. DD#2 was in daycare and DD#1 was in PreK at the elementary (she ended doing the program for 2 years as we held her back a year for kindy) and I hated it and I didn't even have to deal with different school vacations or any of that type of stuff. No way would I do this if I had the choice for the next 18+ years.
I know a few people that have kids in the Spanish Immersion program in the district and a sibling is in the regular program but they are the same school district so they get bussing and all vacation are the same and all that jazz so it makes it easier.
In your shoes, if revisiting the vax thing is not on the table for you (and I won't go into that but not a decision I agree with at all) then I would be looking at different schools for your kids that all can go to.