My daughter missed a month of high school last semester due to surgery and recovery. She did her assignments at home. When she returned to school, her English teacher gave her no feedback on her work and no semester grade. He said her work was not up to his standard and that the assignments really needed to have been done in class to get them straight. Why hadn't he told us this while she was ill? How can he simply say now that the work she did at home doesn't count? We are about to meet with the principal, teacher, and my daughter's counselor.

While your daughter was out, did you receive anything in writing about how to handle her assignments? If she is ever again out of school for an extended time, I urge you to arrange for independent study. Under independent study, the school, parent, and student sign a contract that outlines the school's expectations for homework and testing. "Not up to standard" doesn't give your daughter much to go on. Ask the teacher to explain clearly why your daughter's work didn't measure up, and what she must do to make up the work and receive a grade.

If you reach any agreements at the upcoming meeting, make sure you get them in writing. You may want to bring a friend to support you and to write down any assignments or decisions made at that meeting. Make sure everyone signs this agreement before they leave the room.

Unfortunately, I don't see any law or regulation that can help you. You need to make sure that the school recognizes that your daughter is a good student who can do quality work, and that her time out for illness should not be held against her.