I am a member of an independent team, but I am the only member of the team that goes to public school, the rest are home schooled.
I was wondering what you guys did when you had to miss school for robotics such as for the World Championship or a Super-Regional. Did you talk to the principal of your school, or the superintendent of the district or just pretend you were sick?
For school-affiliated teams the school knows what is happening, but in this case they don’t, and your first unexcused absence at my school I think you revive 2 days in school suspension for, so what do you do? Thanks!
I’m the only one on my team from my school and they will just excuse me with a note from a parent. We include info about the events I’m attending so it’s clear I’m not just missing school, but they usually don’t care. I try and turn it in early, but I have up to 2 weeks after any absences to provide an excuse.
If your school is more strict, have your lead mentor contact your principal and explain what FIRST is, what the event you’re going to is and why you need to be at the event.
Since you are the only student that attends this school I would recommend getting a letter written by your coach explaining where you will be and another letter from your parents stating that they approve of your absences as this event is educational.
With these 2 letters and maybe some literature on FIRST, I would first approach the principal to try to gain permission for the absences without repercussion. He may have to talk to those higher up in the food chain but it would be a good start. I would also recommend starting the process as soon as you know the dates you will be missing to give them ample time to make a decision.