School Policy Change - Advice

[TinkerbellRules]

I need help with convincing my daughter’s school that Disney World is educational. WE plan on attending EPCOT during the “Food and Wine” celebration as well as MGM and MK for the MNSSHP. The school system has implemented a new policy which states that vacations are no longer approved unexcused absences basically. You can take the kids out, but there is a penalty. They are allowed to make up the missed work, but must take a 1%/day missed off the 9 wk grade (1/2 semester). My DD is only in 4th grade. The high school student’s penalty is 2% which can make a tremendous difference in grades. I don’t plan on taking DD out when she is in Intermediate school next year. My DH has a business convention in which his employer is paying his entire stay along with car rental, airfare, and meals. I think this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to see MNSSHP as well.

I guess I really don’t need to convince them, but would like to draft a letter for her file. I think the guilt is getting to me. She will only miss 3 days of school. We have done this the past two Octobers without a problem, but a new state law has caused the schools to look at different ways to increase attendance. I heard the principal on the PA today telling the students they want a 98% attendance rate and they must be in school unless they are sick. I spoke with my DD about this earlier and she didn’t have a problem. Then again, she’s only 9 ;) She doesn’t know we are going yet. I’m making it a surprise. We already have flights as well. We also did not know of the penalty until a couple weeks ago when I spoke to the principal. He said we could, but there would be the penalty and they are leaving it up to the parents to decide.

Thanks for the advice!

[KnightsQwn]

This is insane! I am getting married at the end of my son's school year and have the same issue. He is also in 4th grade.

I can understand that the schools money that they get from the gov is based on attendance but to do this is silly. My son could be sick the last week of school but not seriously enough that he is going to need a note but that's not honest. His teacher is cool but the rules are getting extreme.

I think I would ask if she could write a report on her trip or do a presentation or something. Seems to me when we traveled cross-country when I was little (ele school) and knew we would be a little late getting back, I got to do that. It was neat. I showed pictures and everything... It might work.

Other than that, I would definately write a letter to the school explaining the benefits of the experience, the cultural aspects, the family togetherness, the support for each other. It may do well to have your DD write a little report on it and include it with the letter. That way, even if the school won't let her skate on the attendance, it's in her file.

Good luck and I am sure you will update us.

KQ

[Eeyore7]

Forget the school - take your kids, have a great time and leave the guilt at home. Of course, the trip will be educational & a heck of a lot more fun. Not to mention the $ you have already invested. Seems a financial hardship to rearrange all those plans.

Let's not forget quality time with the family, and a chance to instill alll those wonderful family values in your children 1 on1.

But if you really need convincing - remember no one knows what will happen tomorrow - if this trip is the last one you take as a family, won't you be glad that you have the memories you will have made? That alone is priceless.

[KnightsQwn]

Much better said!

[Rpsemont]

Another option might be to ask what extra work she could do to earn % back? It's been a long time since I dealt with schools and grades, but it seems to me they may have been willing to come up with ways to earn extra credit when excessive illnes or family emergencies resulted in low grades. Personally, I'd skip the WDW is educational line, if you make it work for your daughter it won't be fun. But maybe after she comes back she could do a special project on one of the countries you visited and earn her points back. Or better yet, earn the credit in advance by doing project on one of the countries she'll see!

[LKS]

It doesn't sound like you need to convince them of anything. You will take her out, and she will just take the 3% grade penalty. I would feel silly trying to justify the educational and family benefits of a trip during the school year - those same benefits are available during the summer and at holiday periods, this is a financial thing for your since your husband's employer is footing a big chunk of the bill and you are making a reasonable and educated decision. No need to feel guilty. You will be following their policy.

I think the grade thing could be an effective incentive to parents to schedule their trips during the abundant vacation periods. If you are tacking on a day or two to a trip, it's not a significant penalty, but I think it would serve the purpose of dissuading parents from scheduling 2 week vacations when their kids should be in class. But then, I don't pull my kids out of school, so I know I am in the minority on these boards.

[TinkerbellRules]

Thanks for all the support and advice. Like I said, this will be the last year, unless something extraordinary happens, that we plan on doing this. I know 5th grade will be much harder on her. As far as extra credit, I'll have to check with the teacher. Bad thing, kind of, is she is the asst principal. I agree that some parents take the kids out too much from school. I was talking with someone who will be taking her 6th or 7th grader out for two weeks to Jamica. I'd feel really bad about that.

I wish our school district would adopt the schedule of a nearby community. THey have the all year schedule that including three weeks off in Oct, March as well as extended holiday time. They had the whole month of July as well as part of June. I think that would be beneficial for families as well as the kids, since they don't have the whole summer off to forget things. Course, we'd be able to go to WDW without a worry as well ;)

My friend said told me "what will your DD remember about 4th grade? The 3% off or a family trip". She's right. I know not everyone will agree. I don't expect that. My DD is an A/B student so I don't think I'm really worried about the grades, just feeling guilty (especially since I work PT there).

I did tell the principal that is was almost a free trip. OH, I forgot to tell you he also gets a couple day admissions into the parks as well.

As far as abundant vacation days, I wouldn't call it that, but there are plenty of flex days and teacher instruction days during each month. You'd think they could work them into consecutive days instead of here and there. OUr district freaked out during the snow storm a few years ago and added a bunch of flex days.

Sometimes I wish I could homeschool like my friend ;)

[LKS]

Goodness, maybe I've been working too long, but to me having 2 weeks off at Christmas, a week for spring break and 12 weeks off in the summer seems abundant. Everyone I know with kids in public schools in FL, GA, NC and SC gets pretty much that schedule, but maybe that's not the same where you are. I only get three weeks a year for vacation and that's considered pretty generous in these parts.

My son did have year-round school for his first year(when we lived in FL), then they discontinued it because the parents didn't like it. Too hard to make alternative child care arrangements. We loved it. He got 3 weeks in Oct, 2 weeks at Christmas, 3 weeks in Feb-Mar and 6 weeks in the summer. In fact, we went to Disney in October and March that year. I would absolutely support that again. Of course, those vacation dates were still decided by the district and we had to work around them. It still might not work when something like your husband's trip comes up.

[TZMOM]

I agree w/Eeyore7. I will be taking my son out of school the week before Memorial Day - he's going into 6th grade. School hasn't started here yet so I haven't told any of his teachers. Cripes, what's he going to remember more, the week his usually "you go to school unless you're bleeding BAD" Mom lets him skip to go on a trip we've talked about since he was 4 or the FANTASTIC time he had in 6th grade the week before Memorial Day. When they get to be our age, it's really not going to make a whole heck of a lot of difference. Schools seem to be getting WAY too strict anymore, I guess w/what's been happening they really have to do something, but that's another topic for another day. Have a blast w/your family and enjoy yourselves - you blink & they're off on their own & we're wishing we went to WDW.

[PamCo88]

Can the school district really take away % of grade for not being in school ? I would check with the school department and then the state. This doesn't seem legal to me. Besides, why do they penalize the kids if the parents are taking them out of school? The kids don't really have the choice. I'd tell the school board to dock me not my kids. Unless they want you to leave them alone while you are gone..... Help them realize how stupid this policy is.

I remember in high school, the principal saying if we were caught skipping all work that day would not be made up. But a skip day was when your parents didn't know what you were doing. I "got caught" by the principal but was able to make up the work because my parents had given me the day off so technically I did not skip.

I say GO and fight the system, talk to other parents and start a partition.

[Eeyore2U]

Take them out when they are young....... As they get older, Middle School and High School the work is much more intense. Also, I think a family is easier when they are young. I can't get my 15 DS to associate with me. :rolleyes:

[TinkerbellRules]

Pam: Apparently they can take the % off. It was voted on by the school board. I don't think I've heard of any of the other school districts around here doing it. I think the state will let the schools do anything to get attendance up. Our elementary school really doesn't have a problem with attendance (97.5%), but they want (98%) which would mean only 3.6 days out. And, supposedly, teachers are supposed to follow the same guidelines.

Even worse, the HS gets 2% off! Now, that's a huge difference. Sort of seems like they are shooting themselves in their own foot. What if parents do ignore this and still take them out for longer period (then us). GPA's will drop which is turn will hurt the schools in the long run and they still don't get the Four Star rating (highest award a school can get here - ours is a 4 Star school). It could be a deterrent, but it could backfire. Maybe not in high school, but the other grades.

LKS: Sometimes these things don't conveniently fit into the breaks. We don't travel at Christmas because we want to stay here with our families :) My mom would have a cow if I was away on Christmas or Thanksgiving. Plus you never know about those blizzards ;) Our friends got stuck when flying back from WDW after Christmas (which she said she would never visit WDW at Christmas again) They had to fly to NC one night, then Nashville the next, and finally to IN! It was a nightmare for them. Anyway, like I said, it was never a problem in the past, so this policy is hard on everyone. I'll also NEVER go to WDW in the summer (unless it were free again ;). I really hate the heat. Spring break is at Easter this year and we have other plans. And, finally, this is a seminar trip with DH. Hopefully, next year, if he gets to go, it will be during our fall break. If not, we won't be going with him then.

I guess I look at it as we didn't just come up with these dates to go. She'll be with her daddy and I which is important :)

TZ: I know what you mean about them growing up so fast. She already is. She's our only one and it amazes me how fast she's growing. She won't have these opportunities when she gets older. She'll be off to college before we know it. Growing up, we never had these opportunities to travel. Heck, we could only afford to go on a trip to WY with my aunt, uncle, and cousin and once to KY. I don't have all those wonderful vacation memories and I want my DD to have them

[Toby'sFriend]

Well -- let's look at it this way Tink. They are going to drop her grade by 3% over a 9wk period. Let's say her normal grade in a subject is 93%


So now her grades will look like this --

1st 9 wks -- 90%
2nd 93%
3rd 93%
4th 93%

So for the year end her average will be 92.25% instead of 93%. I think she can recover from that horrible stigma. Just be sure that she realizes how important it is to keep her grades up throughout the year and I think you'll both be fine.

[TinkerbellRules]

Thanks, Toby'sFriend. My DH told her she must do her best work in order to go to WDW. She said "I always do" and she's right :)

Their grading scale is high, at least, higher than mine used to be. Course, that was many years ago ;)

94-100 A
85-93 B
75-84 C
65-74 D

She's come home with a C already, but that was on a paper with only 10 answers! I don't understand this since you miss one and it's a B. Ouch! Last year, her teacher would add several of those types of papers together to give a better grade. This year's teacher also added that she wouldn't record papers if the class, as a whole, had bad grades on it. She feels it must have been something she did wrong. I appreciated that.

[slp87]

It is so hard taking WDW vacations during school breaks because it is too crowded (Thanksgiving, Christmas & Spring Break) and so hot during the summer. I would love to take my daughter out of school for a trip in the off season, but since I'm a teacher, I guess I have to be there too. Bummer!;)

Take your daughter & have a wonderful time. (Just be sure to try and get make up work early!) I wish I could go!!

[TinkerbellRules]

slp87: Thanks for your support. Does your school have any penalties like this? It's all new around here, like I said before.

[slp87]

No, we don't have any. As long as a child brings a note for the absence, no matter how vague, they are excused. I always encourage the parents to let me know about 2 weeks beforehand so I can start looking at lesson plans and gathering work, then I try to give it to them just a couple of days early, so maybe they can get started early. Also be sure your daughter returns the make up work fairly quickly after your return. I think the more communication you have with the teacher, the easier it will be, even if she has to take the grade cut.

[jsmla]

We had a similar situation. My daughter participated in a dance event which required her to be absent 7 days. The principal absolutely refused to excuse it even though all 8 of her teachers were satisfied. I went to the school system's child welfare and attendance office and spoke with the head, presenting our plans for make-up work and her teacher recommendations. He ruled the trip excused. (She did schoolwork, though, which would be a drag on a Disney trip. She did hers on the plane) I don't know if this is an option for you but it worked here.

I mean they're your kids and as long as your daughter is a good student and her teachers are satisfied it's ridiculous to set such arbitrary standards. Too many people besides parents and teachers are making the decisions these days. I know parents who are homeschooling over this very issue.

[Chipmunk]

I'm a teacher. Take her out of school. The penalty is worth a lifetime of memories. Ask her teachers about exta credit work. I'll bet many teachers will help you out. I know I would.

[iman]

By all means take your child, it is only 3 days! There will not be ANYTHING that she cannot make up or not learn. It is only elementary school, not graduate school! Don't feel guilty, free vacations do not come up very oftern. I like the idea of writting the report on the trip (or Epcot countries in particular). Good luck!

[Kallison]

Our school district allows for 10 days of excused absences. Go and have a great time. Three days is not going to make one bit of difference to a 4th grader. My son is going into 5th, I just told his teacher we were taking two days at the end of September around the Jewish holiday. She couldn't have been nicer about it. My parents took me out just about every year in January for a trip to Florida. I was an honor student and suffered no ill effects! What do I remember most about growing up, those trips and the days she used to say "Let's skip and go into Manhattan". You are only young once, have fun!

[jd_mouse]

TinkerbellRules -- If you planned this vacation PRIOR to the school board instituting this new rule, I would DEFINITELY write a formal letter of protest. People often plan vacations a year in advance, and I think its punitive for them to expect families to cancel vacations and incur a monetary loss without sufficient notice.

Good Luck!

jd-mouse

[TerryN]

We also take our children out of school, the last week in Sept. I talk to their teachers, get work that they will be doing while we're gone and my kids do a little each day (yes even at the World...I'm a tough Mom). Last year both children kept journals which they wrote in every afternoon before we went to the pool. My daughter ended up coming home with work done that the teacher had given her to do, but the class got behind, so she had more done then the class. We did send a letter to the principal telling her about "a family vacation" and we would take care of making sure the children kept up on their work. Enjoy your vacation and do what your gut tells you is right for your children!! Enjoy!!

[Cindy72]

This subject just makes me crazy. Has the school system forgotten that these are OUR children. My child should not be penalized for enjoying a family vacation, especially if they are good students and make their work up. I think that they should encourage family togetherness. I just want to state again that these are OUR children and as their parents we are responsible for making decisions for them.

I recently heard of a story about a family who went on vacation and beacuse their children missed more than the alotted number of absences the school failed them for the quarter. Mind you, these children had a - b averages in all there classes and made up all their missed work. This is just not a fair system and new policies need to be put in place. We are not talking about children who are skipping school, we are talking about a FAMILY vacation.

My son starts First grade tomorrow. We will be leaving for Disney in Oct. for a 2 week vacation. I have already heard the school will not be pleased. But you know what they say, you can't please everybody.

Thanks for letting me vent. Oh well I said all this to say I hope you take a guilt free vacation that you all enjoy and remember forever.

[Cru*Ella]

Okay... a 3% penalty on the 9 weeks... assuming 100% average for the 9 weeks, brings it down to a 97%. average that with 100% for the other 3 terms and you have slightly over 99% for the year.

Even if your DD is not in that bracket, it won't even make a 1% difference over the course of the year. BTW, I used 100% to figure on because it was easier for me to do the math... :)


We went through this every year until we started to homeschool. We own two businesses... in one of them, summer is our busy season so we can't vacation. We took them out for a week each time, once for almost two weeks. We had all the *papers* signed by the teachers well in advance and got any extra work that was needed. Most teachers just said GO have a good time! (our kids were in that 100% bracket usually) But, we would always get a letter from the *visiting teacher* aka truant officer, and we would always call the school. They always said the same thing... we know you had it taken care of, it's just policy that we have to send you the note in case you didn't know they missed yada yada yada.

When my oldest DD was a senior, she decided against going with us.... due to block scheduling and missing a week was like missing two weeks. She wanted a scholarship (she got it) and was working extra hard. We took her the 6 years prior to that with only minimal fuss.

Advice? Go and be a family. Family values are more important that the herd mentality taught today.... if the school insists on some *knowledge*... EPCOT is perfect for that... get her a passport and have her visit all the countries and get notes from folks in each country for her. Get pictures of her at country attractions and sampling ethnic cuisine.. etc




HAVE FUN!!!!

Becky in DE

[mommanne]

I originally planned to go to WDW this past August 26, for 7 days. When I saw the DU kids go free package in September, I called to check with the school. They told me that they encourage family vacations, and agreed that Epcot was educational. I'm taking the kids down for 10 days on September 22, and they will miss 6 days of school.

So now I'm going for 10 days in September. It's a better package, it will be cooler than August would have been, and there will be fewer lines. To me, this means we're going to have a blast.

I don't feel one bit guilty. They will make up the work before and during vacation, and I will require them them to keep journals of their trip, especially about Epcot.

The principal I talked to at the school that more kids should be as lucky as mine. She also said what many of you did. This is a lifetime of memories in the making.

[TinkerbellRules]

Thanks for all the support! I really don't feel guilty ESPECIALLY after we told her last week! I wrapped a costume up and gave it to her. I said "where would you really want to wear this" and she said "Disney World!" I told her we were going to the MNSSHP as well. I also asked her where she would want to stay and she said "Port Orleans with the dragon slide". Good thing we were already staying there! We pool hopped there last year, but have never stayed. She's really excited. PLUS I told her for every chapter book she read, she gets $5 for Disney. Now if that isn't motivation, I don't know what is ;)

[Lorihome2]

Sounds like the trip is a big "GO" (yea!!) but I just have to vent..... I cannot believe a school district would implement something like this without massive parental uprising (pitchforks, burning torches, etc...). Our area in California has a pretty neat policy to get around the "pay-by-the-head" issue. If a child is going to be gone a minimum of five days, you can request an "independent study contract" - just like getting make-up work ahead of time, but it's a formal contract. That way, the school district can count the child as attending "school" so they get their $$, but we still have the RIGHT to take our own children on vacation. Ironically, I was only planning to take them out for three days for our January '02 vacation, but I extended the trip so we could get the contract. Funny how that works! HAVE A GREAT TIME!