Taking kids out of school ! Help !!

[Jordan's MOM]

When we go in January, I tell my child's teacher at the first parent-teacher meeting which is in October. There is really no reason to let them know way ahead. I then reminded her at the class Christmas party and then sent a note about a week ahead of time. No problems at all.


Jordan's mom
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[WDW2002]

I too plan on telling the teacher at the parent teacher confrence in Oct/Nov (we go in December). I will also go to the office a week or so before hand and complete "independent study" forms.

 

[Kevs mom]

I will be taking my son (11) and my daughter (8) out of school for a trip in January - they already have 2 of the days off because of teacher workdays but I will be keeping them out the other 3 days so we can have a full week of fun! I too debated long and hard about it - this will be my son's first year in middle school but I definetly think he can handle it. This will be our third family trip to WDW and the other two visits have been at very crowded times of the year so I wanted to go when we could see things at a leisurely pace and I think our memories will be worth it! Have fun on your trips

 

[adams66]

I too agree that life is too short!

My family owns a road construction business. When it is warm and sunny in PA, then we have to take advantage of that and fix roads. When it is snowing in PA, we have the opportunity to take a break and go on vacation. And with the exception of Christmas week and sometimes Easter week, my kids don't get that much time off.

Therefore we try to take a vacaction in January. I do try to schedule it around MLK day so they have one or two days off. That way I can stretch the trip a little longer and include two weekends. That said, I wouldn't let the school influence my decision beyond that. I politely tell them after New Years or just before Christmas that we will be going. Who's to say that a trip to WDW is any less educational than a field trip to the museum. I have always felt that the exposure to WDW and different parts of the country are just as educational.

I say that if you pay tuition, then you are in a way the teacher's employer. Don't let her/him look down on you. I know in my case, my kids go to public school and I pay school taxes. Therefore, I consider myself an employer of the public school system. I hope I don't sound overzealous here, I think it's just a fact of life.

 

[LucyStorm]

I never thought I would take my DD out of school as she is LD and struggles enough. But it didn't make sense to give up the family time and the financial difference that going in value season made. She was out of school for 6 days.

We did take her makeup work with us, and because the parks closed early, she did work on it every night for an hour or in the morning when I was in the shower, etc. She finished her work by the 5th day of our 10 day vacation, and when we returned home, she was WAY AHEAD of the rest of her class.

For her, having Mom as her tutor one on one, was much more beneficial than sitting in the special ed class. Being a teenager, she doesn't treasure the memory yet, but I know that someday she will.

 

[LKS]

Plenty of us do not take our children out of school and still have a wonderful vacation to WDW during school breaks. Some people may think perfect attendance is a stupid goal to shoot for, but I can tell you that my three kids were quite proud of their certificates this year AND, that when I was in HS many moons ago, I got a part-time job over 60 applicants because of my perfect attendance. It is not completely meaningless. We are all very involved in school anyway, as I now work part-time and spend many of my "off" hours volunteering etc... We think there are frankly few enough days of school each year and we should take advantage of them while we can, and still have all of our great family time and educational experiences during non-school days.

But, what is right for our family, very well may not be for yours. Just thought I would add my very rare opinion to the debate.

 

[Kevs mom]

I just thought I would respond to LKS and add that my children too have received "good attendance" certificates in the past and were very proud of it, the thing with their school is though is that anyone who misses 3 days or less gets one, there is no special award for missing no days of school which I think is fair since my kids have gone entire school years without missing a single day but then like this past year my daughter missed close to a week due to illness and my son missed days because of a concussion. I stay at home and volunteer loads of time at the school each year so it sounds like you and I have that in common, in fact in the past I used to share your opinion of planning vacations around school but after our last two trips to Disney (one in summer and one during spring break) I have decided to pull the kids out for 3 days in January so we can experience it at a slower pace and really enjoy our time without being crowded or hot, I made sure I picked a week where they already have two days in a row off so that way they will only have to miss three and it is at the beginning of a new grading period so I think if you can work out something like that it is fine to miss a few days of school and if my kids don't end up missing any more than those days they will still get their certificate at the end of the year. I also should mention my son is a straight A student and my daughter also does well in school so I don't think it will effect them at all. Like many have said on this thread it is up to each individual family to make that choice and only they know their circumstances so no one should tell them otherwise!!!!

 

[Jasmine13]

LucyStorm... I'll bet the undivided time you spent with your DD both touring the parks, and working on her school work with her while at Disney was a wonderful and meaningful experience for both you and her. Something that is rarely found in day to day life. What a wonderful story, and thanks for sharing.

 

[minnieandmickey]

I would just like to say there are families out there where one or both of the parents can't get school vacation time off. We are one of them. My husband has to bid for his vacation and it is based on his seniority. So by the time his name comes up on the list all of spring,summer,fall, and any important weeks like Christmas and Thanksgiving are taken. So if we are going to have a vacation then we have to take the kids out of school. This will be the case next year, and we will try to find a week or so that has the least amount of days of school will be missed. Do we like to, no. But my husband is a police officer and works very screwed up hours , so the time that we spend as a family is very important to us.

 

[patman]

Before high school, I would not have a problem taking my children out for a week. Our High School does not try to stop kids going on vacation during the year but if a test is on Monday you have to take it. any make up tests taken later in the week are at 80% of the grade. Work is taken on vacation and graded. My oldest son is a senior this year taking Physics, Calculus, Probability and Computer Science. He will need to take a laptop on vacation as all the teachers require the work to be done. When people say that you are responsible for your child but they are responsible to insure that your child is exposed to the material. Is it fair for your high school student to do less work and recieve the same grade as students who put the time in class?

Vacations while school is in session require tradeoffs, quality time together vs missed schooling.

 

[eeyore0062]

Vacations while school is in session require tradeoffs, quality time together vs missed schooling.

!

any make up tests taken later in the week are at 80% of the grade

Very true, but is still the ultimate decision of the parents when or if they are taking their kids out of school, and the fact that the school, is in essence punishing them with only awarding 80% of a grade, even if the kid got a perfect score because the family chose to spend time together. Schools, while responsible for imparting knowledge to the child, still are not that child's keeper, and should not penalize the child or the family for the choices that are their's to make. Sometimes, as mickeyandminnie stated, vacations have to be taken when the parents can take the time... and especially considering the type of job that mickeyandminnie's husband has, family time is really of the utmost importance! Schools do have to realize that family must come 1st, and consider all circumstances individually... a blanket rule really should not apply!

 

[disneyjunkie]

In the pass I have said I would never take my son out of school to go to Disney World. There's no reason why we can't go when school is out.

However, this November I'm taking him out for 2 days, the Wednesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving. Am I doing this because it's the only time we can go? Nope. I'm doing it for 2 reasons, one I don't want to travel on T-day and two I want to attend MVMCP.

Since I'm making the choice to take my son out of school, I have to live with the choices the school make about making up exams and missed classwork/homework.

 

[meowchi]

We can't take our kids out of school. If we do then they get a zero for the days missed and they cannot make up the work. Also a week of unexcused absenses bring us before the school board. I am stuck with having to go to Disney during the summer months or school vacations.

 

[MEM]

Yes, but isn't the key word "unexcused"? My children's school has a similar policy but by informing the principal and teachers well in advance and either proposing homework or accepting what they assign, it has not been a problem for us. The funny thing was, the teacher assigned my daughter, a kindergartener, a project that no one else in her class was capable of completing! To keep a daily journal when most kids in the class could not read nor barely write.

Also, my other child is autistic and we have, so far, convinced the SpEd dept. that WDW is therapy for him since his development advances dramatically with each trip. Taking him during the super-crowded times would not work because it would over-whelm him.

 

[Jasmine13]

I think that it is a sin and a shame that schools can't be more flexible, especially in this day and age of both parents working and having to coordinate time off. Schools do need to understand the needs of the families sometimes have to come before them, and make exceptions. A zero for every day missed... well, that is just ridiculous, and I teach school. It is no wonder that kids can't be kids anymore... they are expected to act like little adults, and are treated as such... there is plenty of time to have to be responsible and grown up...lets not push it. Let the kids be kids, and stop giving them ulcers at the tender age of 8 because they are being pressured so hard in school. It is up to the individual family to decide what is right for their child... and if the parents will be out of town and there is no one to watch the child while they are gone, that is an excusable absence... otherwise it would be child endangerment or worse to leave them home by themselves. Sorry for the rant, but schools are not responsible for parenting, the parents are!

 

[adams66]

Jasmine-

I wholeheartedly agree with you! Kids are under so much pressure these days from sports to school to everything else. A zero for a missed daily is absurd! What about sick days? That's why I also disagree with the premium place on perfect attendance. Yes, school is VERY important. But sick kids shouldn't go to school. Family is MORE important! Kids grow up so darn fast these days. Time spent with family is never lost! Schools must understand that there is more to turning out well rounded, bright individuals than making them sit in a classroom day in and day out.

I think that as long as the school admin. and teachers are notified in a reasonable amount of time prior to the trip I see absolutely nothing wrong with the absense being considered "excused". I just fill out the appropriate form stating when we will be leaving and when we plan to return and the principal forwards it to the teachers for them to get together any assignments that they will miss. Then I speak to the teachers to get a handle on things and off we go.

 

[meowchi]

unexcused is without doctors note. If they are out for any extended time they have to have one. It could all be smoke that they blow off but this is what I was told. I have put our trips off to summer and Thanksgiving vacations.

 

[meeshi]

When we've taken our kids out of school for vacation we've had to fill out "Educational Field Trip" forms from the school. Then their absences weren't considered unexcused.

 

[WDW2002]

Originally posted by meeshi
When we've taken our kids out of school for vacation we've had to fill out "Educational Field Trip" forms from the school. Then their absences weren't considered unexcused.

We have something simular in our school district, if your kids are going to miss a week or more for any reason (illness, vacation, whathaveyou) we are to fill out a "independent study" contract. This is what I plan to do for the 11 days my kids will miss in December. BUT I have also learned from these boards that school board policys vary WIDELY from state to state, school board to school board.

 

[IGDDDF]

Dear WDW2002

What exactly is an independent study contract. And how does it work? Does this apply to all public schools? I live upstate NY.
I think this is something that I will have to inquire about. Thanks!

This seems to be a very hot topic .