Thanks, But No Thanks

We're going on a field trip next week so we sent out the permission slips last week and asked for them to be returned by Wednesday this week. That way we'd be able to notify the chaperone parents by Friday and they can plan ahead. People get chosen to go with us by being the first ones to return the permission slips with the box checked that they'd like to go.

Today, one of my fellow teachers came to show me a slip signed by the dad of one of her students with the box checked that he'd like to accompany us. Her slip wasn't turned in until Thursday because she was absent Mon-Tues-Wed. She is often absent for many days at a time. Now, to be fair, she does have some health issues. But more than twice this year, she was gone for a week or more and when she returned it was with a long note from mom explaining that they (she and mom) had been in another state, another city, etc. And why were they gone far away?

She and her husband were fighting and he'd 1) shot bullet holes in her car or 2) been hitting her or 3) threatened to kill her. So....we're going to invite this person along on our field trip? Um, no.

My co-worker just told the student that, sorry, all the people going with us have already been chosen. Thanks!