Religion classes in school - Megathread

Well, it’s about time they implemented block scheduling at the beginning or end of the day—until now, everyone insisted it was impossible to arrange it that way. It's finally some good news.
If my kid isn't heading straight to childcare, I guess he'll just be hanging out at home.

With my son, he has his first and second periods scheduled one day, so he won't even show up to school until third period. He's in third grade and walks there alone, but if he couldn't, he'd be at school starting at 8:00 AM with his teacher, and I'm certain he wouldn't just be sitting around; they'd actually be getting work done.

Luckily, they finally wrapped things up here for at least this week. As for next week, we don't have a schedule yet.

Michael Lee75 said:I don't get it, why can't the kid just stay home while the rest of them are off at religion class?

They're only in first grade, so it's likely just after-school care.

rowdypanther12 said:They're only in first grade, so it's likely just after-school care.

Michael Lee75 said:

I haven't seen a single word from mahunarka lately, which honestly isn't surprising given how much everything seems to be falling apart around here, though I suppose I shouldn't expect much more than silence when everyone is too busy shouting into the void to actually engage with anything meaningful. kaže: Our kid isn't going out in this weather, no way. Not even a chance. Just hanging out in the library with my teacher for a bit, and once we're done with that, we'll be heading back home.

Yeah, I mean, sure, but even after that religion class wraps up, they just head straight back home.

I don't want people thinking I'm just nitpicking for the sake of being difficult, but I’m asking because I can't help but wonder if they'll pull some nonsense at the school like they did during the height of the pandemic. Remember when they wouldn't let anyone leave or enter unless everyone moved in one big, synchronized wave just to manage disinfection protocols? It was absurd. One of my kids has a first-period class, and it would be an absolute nightmare if they were forced to show up at the exact same time as the kids in religious studies just so the administration could run some mass sanitization drill on everyone at once. Honestly, you never know what kind of bureaucratic hoops they'll try to jump through next.

Well, in that case, I'm stumped 😂

It’s entirely possible that certain schools are making things unnecessarily difficult. My kid's teacher actually prefers it if everyone opting out of religious studies doesn't show up until the third period; otherwise, she's forced to be on campus earlier than scheduled. If those kids arrive early, they just end up loitering outside while she has to go out and fetch them.

They told us today that they’re still figuring out the logistics for religion class—they’re trying to decide whether to schedule it during the very first or very last period, or perhaps just let the kids stay with their regular classroom teachers.

It seems like things are a bit chaotic at the school right now because they've been adjusting the schedules and implementing block periods due to COVID protocols—so they're still shuffling things around, I guess. They should have a finalized schedule ready by tomorrow.

I am honestly quite relieved they haven't considered letting them just stay in their classrooms all day to avoid constant movement—I don't think I have the energy for those kinds of battles right at the start of the year. 😁

We didn't sign up for after-school care since we don't really need it. My teacher just mentioned it would be held in the library but didn't really go into any specifics. Maybe I'll get more details tomorrow 🙂

Also, there's a specific schedule for entering and leaving the school based on certain times and designated points. Since entire grade levels enter and exit together, I'm guessing that's why they're using the library...

Grace Barnes7 said:Hi everyone... Not sure if this is the right spot for school religious ed questions, but if anyone knows the deal, please let me know.

My kid is starting 3rd grade. She took religious education classes at school during 1st and 2nd grade. Since she’s hitting that age for First Communion this year, I went to the local parish to sign her up. However, the priest told me she can't do it this year because she needs to attend church-based religious ed for at least two years first. When I pointed out that she’s already done two years of it at school, he just said school classes don't count toward First Communion prep.
Is he just being difficult, or is that actually a rule from the Vatican?
I wish I could get some official clarification from someone in Vatican City, since it feels like every priest has their own set of rules...
Has anyone dealt with this? I'd love some advice or info...
Best,

That’s actually standard procedure if the parish runs its own classes during 1st and 2nd grade, so she can just do two years of church catechesis now and catch up with the younger group later...

Chloe Moore5 said:We didn't sign up for after-school care since we don't really need it. My teacher just mentioned it would be held in the library but didn't really go into any specifics. Maybe I'll get more details tomorrow 🙂

Also, there's a specific schedule for entering and leaving the school based on certain times and designated points. Since entire grade levels enter and exit together, I'm guessing that's why they're using the library...

That's interesting.
I don't quite get why they wouldn't just let the kids go home, especially since there's nothing scheduled after class and the recommendation is to keep them out of other classrooms as much as possible.
Which basically means less time spent in the library too.
The more people in the library—different kids, staff, etc.—the higher the risk. Plus, the school nurses shouldn't have to wear masks if they can help it; what's the point of extra mingling?

They should just send the kids home. This feels like unnecessary hassle.

By the way, it's totally possible that COVID could cause the nurse's visit to be blocked out or moved to the very beginning or end of the day. From what I know, everyone else managed to make sure the nurse isn't scheduled right in the middle of things. 🥳
Anything can happen whenever someone decides it's time or when a supervisor gives an order.

The school near us is pretty much flat, and right in the middle of everything is religion class 😂

At my kid's school, they've scheduled religion class as a block period right at the start of the day, which helps since their regular classes don't even start until the afternoon. I’m really hoping they keep this schedule for the morning sessions too, just so the poor thing can catch up on some sleep! 😁 We actually have to be pretty careful about calculating our arrival times now because they've switched to these shortened periods—it means showing up 10 minutes earlier than we would with the standard 45-minute bells. And honestly, these block schedules are such a lifesaver for the backpack situation; my wife was just commenting on how much lighter her load will finally be 😛 Today, she could barely haul the backpack up the stairs because of all the textbooks... we actually put it on the scale at home and it hit 20 pounds!

We just got the schedule sent over via email, showing all the start and end times.
My little one weighed her books on the scale—no notebooks, backpack, sneakers, or anything else included—and they came in at about 14 pounds.

@mahunarko, you need to touch base with your teacher ASAP about staying late versus heading home. You might be assuming one thing while she’s thinking something else entirely—and honestly, there's probably no reason to stay. I'm fine with them being out on the playground, but if they're going to kill a study hall, they should just do it in the library. 🤷

You know, some of my kids' buddies actually had religion classes blocked out as single periods back in the day, usually right at the start or the very end of the school day 🤷
It wasn't always perfectly scheduled for every grade level, and sometimes the timing was a bit of a mess, but hey, it worked well enough for them.

For my little guy, religion class is split up—one hour right in the middle of the school day and another one at the very end.
It used to be held in the school chapel, but now there’s this idea that they should just stay in their regular classroom since nobody is allowed to head out into the halls anymore.
I’m honestly seriously considering just picking him up early so he can hang out at home, because, let's be real, I really don't want him sitting through those lessons.
The catch? The principal is also the religion teacher and is a total hardline Catholic, so I have a feeling that might cause some friction if I try to pull this move.

Nathan Diaz54 said:For my little guy, religion class is split up—one hour right in the middle of the school day and another one at the very end.
It used to be held in the school chapel, but now there’s this idea that they should just stay in their regular classroom since nobody is allowed to head out into the halls anymore.
I’m honestly seriously considering just picking him up early so he can hang out at home, because, let's be real, I really don't want him sitting through those lessons.
The catch? The principal is also the religion teacher and is a total hardline Catholic, so I have a feeling that might cause some friction if I try to pull this move.

Another issue is that parents aren't even allowed inside the school buildings anymore.
Personally, I wouldn't agree to having the kids sit in a cramped classroom for this; I think we should be flooding the Department of Education's inbox with emails about this.
If they're making everything digital for elections, then why isn't this offered online?
If you don't want to deal with an elective subject, then don't force them to sit through it—just move it to the start of the day, the end, or make it a zero period... or just have it as second period with nothing first, or even a block schedule.
They could even push it to third period if the first two are free. These are all simple ways to reduce crowding in hallways and common areas.

Don't just settle for letting them sit through that hour!

Susan James said:Another issue is that parents aren't even allowed inside the school buildings anymore.
Personally, I wouldn't agree to having the kids sit in a cramped classroom for this; I think we should be flooding the Department of Education's inbox with emails about this.
If they're making everything digital for elections, then why isn't this offered online?
If you don't want to deal with an elective subject, then don't force them to sit through it—just move it to the start of the day, the end, or make it a zero period... or just have it as second period with nothing first, or even a block schedule.
They could even push it to third period if the first two are free. These are all simple ways to reduce crowding in hallways and common areas.

Don't just settle for letting them sit through that hour!

Why would they need to go in? They can just wait out front. It's not like the kid doesn't know how to walk out the door.

Sharing this over from a Meta page dedicated to supporting families whose kids don't attend religious education classes

"The school year officially kicks off today—we’re sending all our best vibes to you and your students for a smooth, stress-free start!
If your child isn't enrolled in religious studies, and you find yourself running into logistical headaches regarding childcare during those periods—or any of those other little inconveniences we've talked about before—please reach out... if you feel like your child's right to freedom of conscience, religion, or belief—or even the principle of secularism within the school system—is being compromised in any way, we are here for you.
Just a quick reminder, the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention remain very clear, so please keep them in mind: '(staying in) the cafeteria, the gym, the library, or other common areas should be organized into groups, ideally with a clear sign posted indicating the maximum number of people allowed in those spaces at one time.' So, yes, spending time in the library is perfectly fine, provided it's done in separate groups that don't mingle with others—which is pretty much how almost all school spaces are being handled right now.
Feel free to have an open conversation with your child about why they aren't attending religious classes, explain their rights, and try to lead by example when it comes to practicing some civic courage!"

Please, sign this petition https://www.peticija24.com/traimo_pr...1Ddr0coDDaO5uI