First week of nursing school and I just received a court summons.

LittleCandles · Aug 16, 2015

Truthfully... I wouldn't miss court, even if it is "just family court." Im dealing with family court for everything under the sun and they're all super important for myself and my children. I would talk to your profession and see if you can attend another lecture for that missed day or if someone can record it for you.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Aug 16, 2015

So, I am starting RN school 8/24. I just received a court summons to attend court on 8/27. Without getting to personal, it's family court and I'm not in any trouble.
The court date will fall during my second fundies lecture of the semester and I do not want to miss it. I plan on writing the judge a letter to request an excuse from court. I also wanted to advise my professor by email ASAP incase I am not excused by the judge.
My question is, would it be a stretch,to ask my professor to write a short note to the court explaing that it is unadvisable to be absent from any lecture? Is this something nursing professors are used to doing for students?

Check with the court what is an acceptable reason to postpone a court date (or your attorney). There are reasons such as certain jobs that are deemed acceptable others are at judge discretion. Your professor not knowing you may not be willing to make such a statement on your behalf to the court. This is not a simple answer. Plus having a court summons at the start of school and asking your professor to write a more on your behalf even if not a criminal case may cloud the faculty's perception of you before you even establish a positive reputation. Something to think about.

If it were me I would check with your attorney or an inquiry to the court clerk before involving school

Good luck

Jules A, MSN · Aug 16, 2015

I don't think a professor has the right to request a court absence and I agree that I'd involve the school very minimally and after you have clarified it with the court. Missing a lecture isn't the same as missing clinical, imo, and I'd avoid sharing this kind of information with them. "A previous engagement that can't be rescheduled" would be the most they would get out of me. Professors are cognizant of boundaries especially early on so keep that in mind.

Good luck.

GuEsT78 · Aug 16, 2015

From your remarks, there's a bit of uncertainty as to whether you're being asked to be family court to testify in some family dispute, to serve in some professional role as part of your work in family practice orthopedics, or to just do jury duty.

If it's a family dispute, the the real issue may be whether you owe those involved your presence there, meaning can you help settle this dispute in a way that's good for your family. If so, you might ask yourself if that's more important than attending one class. Would not attending strain family relations for years in the future?

If it's professional testimony, perhaps of something you have seen, then you have a professional responsibility to attend. And if that is the case, by all means tell your nursing professor. It'll impress her and show her you had a professional life before nursing school. Find some other way to make up for not being in class.

If it's just jury duty, ask for a hardship exemption, include a note from your professor, and offer to serve at a later date. Whether you get that exemption depends on the court's ability to fill slots. When I tried to get one, pleading self-employment, I got nowhere. At that time, filling jury slots in Seattle/King County was so difficult, only being on my death bed in an ICU would have gotten me off.

-----

One suggestion Courts move very slowly. if you have to go for whatever reason, bring school work with you because you're likely to spend quite a bit of time waiting. Also, if the judge won't let you study in his courtroom, ask to remain in the lobby and get called. If it's jury duty, you'll just have to grit your teeth, pay attention and hope the trial ends quickly.

If you're there for testimony, it may be brief. The one time I appeared in court for testimony, my role took five seconds. I did it to lighten the traffic ticket of a guy who'd hit me. His life was falling apart. Out of work, his wife had left him, taking their baby. His brother had tossed him out. Getting him a fine reduction of $100 seemed the least I could do for him even though he'd hit me, being there took most of an afternoon, and paid only $10. Sometimes you just have to do what is right.

Also don't forget the opportunity for a little income. When I did that jury duty, I was only paid $10 for each of two days even though each took up most of my day. The court did its best to get me to bus there, but I found out that if I drove I not only saved time, the court paid me car mileage, which was far more than the microscopic pay for jury duty.

Good luck whatever happens.

vigor145 · Aug 16, 2015

I would go to court. AND I would not go email your professor about it. They do not care. I am not sure how big your cohort is but at my university mine started at 80 people. down to about 72 now. While all my past professors DO know me well, they do not know a lot of the students. They are not going to care if you are going to miss a lecture. Check with your school; ours videotapes all major lectures and we can watch them online throughout the semester. If your school offers that, then you can make up the lecture that way.

Otherwise just go through the book/lab manual. Fundies should be your easiest class to miss. It is fundamentally straight forward!

EDIT: when I was getting my undergrad degrees back around 2000, I had a court date come up. I gave it enough time, and sent a letter to the courthouse b/c I was not willing to miss this particular day of classes. It was postponed. I have also gotten out o f jury duty 5 times saying I had classes.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Aug 16, 2015

The problem with postponing is that eventually it will be rescheduled. There are no guarantees that the rescheduled date would not be even more inconvenient than this one. It could land on a test day, a clinical, etc. The further into the program you get, the more likely it will be that each lecture/activity is really important.

Personally, I'd let the prof know you will be missing it and make arrangements to record the lecture.

RainMom · Aug 16, 2015

Do you know what the actual attendance policy for school is yet? My program did not count it against you if lecture was missed, only lab/clinical days. Obviously it is in everyone's best interest to be there, but sometimes stuff happens.

FLnurseprospect · Aug 16, 2015

Thank you all for your input. :) I thought it might be little too much to ask that of my professor. I'm going to take your advice and take it up with the court and will just let my prof. know incase I have to miss lecture and will ask someone to record it for me if she allows.

My school's nurse handbook states they have a strict attendance policy but they will make exceptions for certain circumstances. I'm sure this counts I just didn't want to miss but what can you do

FLnurseprospect · Aug 17, 2015

From your remarks, there's a bit of uncertainty as to whether you're being asked to be family court to testify in some family dispute, to serve in some professional role as part of your work in family practice orthopedics, or to just do jury duty.
If it's a family dispute, the the real issue may be whether you owe those involved your presence there, meaning can you help settle this dispute in a way that's good for your family. If so, you might ask yourself if that's more important than attending one class. Would not attending strain family relations for years in the future?
If it's professional testimony, perhaps of something you have seen, then you have a professional responsibility to attend. And if that is the case, by all means tell your nursing professor. It'll impress her and show her you had a professional life before nursing school. Find some other way to make up for not being in class.
If it's just jury duty, ask for a hardship exemption, include a note from your professor, and offer to serve at a later date. Whether you get that exemption depends on the court's ability to fill slots. When I tried to get one, pleading self-employment, I got nowhere. At that time, filling jury slots in Seattle/King County was so difficult, only being on my death bed in an ICU would have gotten me off.
-----
One suggestion Courts move very slowly. if you have to go for whatever reason, bring school work with you because you're likely to spend quite a bit of time waiting. Also, if the judge won't let you study in his courtroom, ask to remain in the lobby and get called. If it's jury duty, you'll just have to grit your teeth, pay attention and hope the trial ends quickly.
If you're there for testimony, it may be brief. The one time I appeared in court for testimony, my role took five seconds. I did it to lighten the traffic ticket of a guy who'd hit me. His life was falling apart. Out of work, his wife had left him, taking their baby. His brother had tossed him out. Getting him a fine reduction of $100 seemed the least I could do for him even though he'd hit me, being there took most of an afternoon, and paid only $10. Sometimes you just have to do what is right.
Also don't forget the opportunity for a little income. When I did that jury duty, I was only paid $10 for each of two days even though each took up most of my day. The court did its best to get me to bus there, but I found out that if I drove I not only saved time, the court paid me car mileage, which was far more than the microscopic pay for jury duty.
Good luck whatever happens.

I'm not really being asked to give testimony. In fact, I'm not even petitioning. The Dept. of Revenue is petitioning and has listed me as a petitioner because of my ex husband's failure to pay child support for the last 8 years. I didn't give more detail earlier as I was trying not to make it too personal. Anyway, that's why I was hoping not having to attend as I have gone to these proceedings in the past and nothing has been accomplished. I'm the sole provider for my child and it stinks to miss work and this time school because of his actions or lack there of. Oh well, it could be worse. I submitted a letter to the court today and will wait to hear back. Thank you for your support.

Golfer87 · Aug 18, 2015

Your lucky it wasn't for Grand Jury. With that, you might as well get pregnant being out that long.