My daughter is suspended...

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SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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...along with half of her class.
Her grades from last year in North Carolina have to be "validated" by the Dominican Consulate in the USA. Which to me is just another way for this lovely country to make a buck.
Anyway, I took a copy of the grades to the Dominican Consulate in NYC (took a day off of work = approx. $500), I was told that I have to bring them in a sealed envelope, stamped by the school, pay $50, and they would be validated.
So I called my daughter's old school who says that they sent the grades to the high school that she was supposed to attend. So I call the High School and they said that THEY sent the records back to the middle school. THEN they tell me that the records cannot be sent to me (I have an adress in NYC), that they HAVE to send them to the school here. Which we all now how the mail is here. It may be February before they arrive, IF they arrive at all.
So I have been leaving messages for the school district superintendent who has not returned my calls and the school here in Santiago gave a letter to over half her class yesterday that they cannot return to school until this is turned in.
So, is my child supposed to sit out of school for 2-3 weeks until this is sorted out or should I just put her in another school until I get these papers?? I hate to change her school but this makes no sense!!! What do you think?
SHALENA
 
Mar 2, 2008
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Not knowing how close another school is to where you live, it is tough to say. But the short answer is, keep her involved with a school. It will take some explaining to her, I imagine, but if it is clear there is no alternative, and you are doing everything you can to get things straightened out, she should be okay with it.

Also, what are the other kids in her class who are affected doing about school?
 
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SKing

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Not knowing how close another school is to where you live, it is tough to say. But the short answer is, keep her involved with a school. It will take some explaining to her, I imagine, but if it is clear there is no alternative, and you are doing everything you can to get things straightened out, she should be okay with it.

Also, what are the other kids in her class who are affected doing about school?
I could send her to New Horizons but the thing is, if I change her school now I will NOT send her back to O y M Hostos.
Since the kids all received the letters yesterday, everyone just stayed home, I guess trying to figure out what to do like I am.
SHALENA
 
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She'll probably want to do whatever they do, so it might be a good idea for the parents to get together and plan some kind of strategy.
 

SantiagoDR

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...... THEN they tell me that the records cannot be sent to me (I have an adress in NYC), that they HAVE to send them to the school here. Which we all now how the mail is here. It may be February before they arrive, IF they arrive at all.

Perhaps if you could go to the school in the States and pay for FedEX shipping of the documents.
You would be assured of their arrival in Santiago. (FedEx Letter would cost about $50 U.S.)


Don - SantiagoDR
 

SKing

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Perhaps if you could go to the school in the States and pay for FedEX shipping of the documents.
You would be assured of their arrival in Santiago. (FedEx Letter would cost about $50 U.S.)


Don - SantiagoDR

I thought of that, the problem is that I do not go to NC...I would have to buy another flight to do that. Also, after this week in NYC, I will not be back in the states until the 28th. So what does she do in the meantime.
I am going to the school this morning to tell them that I am taking my daughter to another school. Tuition is almost due so maybe they will try to work somehting out. This makes no sense to me and I refuse to buy plane tickets, pay FedEx charges, etc to have the Dominican Consulate Office take 2 seconds to put a stamp on a report card.
SHALENA
p.s. If I am coming off harsh, do not take it personally. I really appreciate your advice......I am not mad at you, I am mad at the situation.:ermm:
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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..... p.s. If I am coming off harsh, do not take it personally. I really appreciate your advice......I am not mad at you, I am mad at the situation.:ermm:

Welcome to life in the Dominican Republic! ;)

Like I paid over a hundred dollars, made trips to Miami and Jacksonville Florida to get documents certified by the Dominican Consulates, only to be told in Santo Domingo that I had to do it in Santo Domingo, that they did not accept the certifications from the Consulates in the States. (Of course I had to pay again in Santo Domingo). ;)

Ok, my 1/2 second of pouting is over from your response..... :cool: lol


Don - SantiagoDR
 

SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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I went to the school this morning and what I thought would happen, happened.
I told them that I was taking my daughter to another school and ALAS...she can return to school tomorrow.
Bienvenida a La Republica Dominicana..........where cash (or lack of it) rules everything.
SHALENA
 
Feb 7, 2007
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Speak with the NC school. Tell them the post system here is non-existent. Offer to pay fedex and send them shipping info. Go to fedex.com Pay and get the prepaid airbill. Send that to school.

ON THE AIRBILL, put your friend's name (not yours) and your address. Make it look it goes to a XYZ school and your friend is a director. You can put anything on the airbill. School in the USA has no way to check.

When Fedex comes, have the friend sign for the shipment or give you authorization in writing to receive it and photocopy of the cedula. If Fedex does not come, go to their pickup station with the friend or the authorization.

Now you have the originals in hand and that's what you need. Now you can mail it / fedex it yourself to the DR consulate in NY.

Other than then... unite with other parents and go make huelga and burn tires in front of the school.... that seems to get results here
 

Ezequiel

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Jun 4, 2008
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...along with half of her class.
Her grades from last year in North Carolina have to be "validated" by the Dominican Consulate in the USA. Which to me is just another way for this lovely country to make a buck.
Anyway, I took a copy of the grades to the Dominican Consulate in NYC (took a day off of work = approx. $500), I was told that I have to bring them in a sealed envelope, stamped by the school, pay $50, and they would be validated.
So I called my daughter's old school who says that they sent the grades to the high school that she was supposed to attend. So I call the High School and they said that THEY sent the records back to the middle school. THEN they tell me that the records cannot be sent to me (I have an adress in NYC), that they HAVE to send them to the school here. Which we all now how the mail is here. It may be February before they arrive, IF they arrive at all.
So I have been leaving messages for the school district superintendent who has not returned my calls and the school here in Santiago gave a letter to over half her class yesterday that they cannot return to school until this is turned in.
So, is my child supposed to sit out of school for 2-3 weeks until this is sorted out or should I just put her in another school until I get these papers?? I hate to change her school but this makes no sense!!! What do you think?
SHALENA

Next time Sking you can validate the grade in the DR, you don't have to go to the consulate or pay an outrageous amount of money. I forgot where they do it in Santiago but if you go to "La Capital" they will do it at the "Secretaria de Educacion".

God! they always find the way to ripped out the Gringos LOL.
 

RGVgal

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May 26, 2008
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O y M Hostos is a horrible shool anyway. Your daughter is lucky to be suspended.

Agreed. My cousin goes there and he wouldn't be able to get in to a decent school in the states based on what he is learning there.

His spelling/grammar is horrible and he isn't learning much. Waste of money.
 

Castellamonte

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Mar 3, 2005
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I think your school might need an education of their own. According to my sources you cannot suspend any child from a school which is legally recognized by SEE (Sec. Est. Edu.) EXCEPT if they are a physical threat. Lack of payment for tuition, goofed up documents, etc are invalid reasons in my experience. Check on it!
 

RGVgal

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May 26, 2008
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What kind of experience and education do the teachers have? Are they certified to teach in the U.S.?
 

bob saunders

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I think your school might need an education of their own. According to my sources you cannot suspend any child from a school which is legally recognized by SEE (Sec. Est. Edu.) EXCEPT if they are a physical threat. Lack of payment for tuition, goofed up documents, etc are invalid reasons in my experience. Check on it!

Au contraire my wife gives parents a maximum of 3 months grace for lack of payment then out go the kids. If this was illegal she wouldn't do it.
 

LaTeacher

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May 2, 2008
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For sure. I am just glad that everything worked out. By the way, the schools are not bad. It is the students that go to the schools that are bad.

um, not so much. there are some bilinguals that are bad because the students are all hoodlum, deportees from the states. OyM is bad because it's just bad. The math they teach in ninth grade is seventh grade math even in the worst public districts of NY. and the teachers don't speak english. and most aren't even teachers. the 1st grade teacher studied architecture. and the 2nd and 3rd grade teachers can't spell... or write... or carry conversations, well intelligent ones, in english. it's the school.

not just the students.
 
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