Your thoughts on kids missing school to go to Disney

[Monykalyn]

For my kids-the older they get the harder it is for them to miss more than a day or 2. That said-I don't think missing a couple days of school for family time is going to send a message of "school is low priority" but rather "family time is important". Heck-I've taken a child out (very occasionally and after making sure there isn't critical material that will be missed or a test) for an afternoon to spend one-to-one time with me when they have seemed especially stressed/sad. FTR-all my kids do well in school, involved etc so it really isn't hurting their academic career. For us-6th/7th grade may be the latest grade to take out for a vacation lasting longer than a couple days-schoolwork at higher levels just gets harder to make up in most cases.

Good luck on your decision!

ETA-with activities (band, sports, summer school -to get ahead on classes/credits not makeup) it is harder and harder to find "free " weeks during the summer months now! Sometimes tacking on beginning or end of a school break is actually easier to plan!

 

[Vicki926]

ETA-with activities (band, sports, summer school -to get ahead on classes/credits not makeup) it is harder and harder to find "free " weeks during the summer months now! Sometimes tacking on beginning or end of a school break is actually easier to plan!

I'd agree with that-my daughter worked as a summer rec counselor last summer. School ended on Monday and rec started Wednesday. 6 weeks. It ended mid week the first week of August and mandatory varsity cheer camp started the following Monday and ran until school began.
She actually has 3 or 4 softball games during spring break that she'll be missing for our one vacation this year, but there is literally no time in the entire year where something won't be affected.

 

[bsblady01]

I would not want kids in middle school missing any time since they have more then one teacher it will be hard to make up work. plus they have end of the year testing so they can not miss that. I would go in the summer

 

[roseaster]

This will probably get fun it's a heated topic, but here is my 2 cents.

FTR my kids are 17, 17, 15, 11, 10, and unborn.

For MY kids, I would be okay with them missing 2 day, never 5. The 2 issues are the attendance policy and the ability to make up work. In our schools vacations are NOT excused absences. The teachers can, if they choose, issue zeros for the work missed. Any absences over 3 days in a row require a doctors note, or proof of a death in the family. Students are only allowed a max of 10 unexcused absences a year.

The things to consider:

1) Your school's attendance policy. Will it be excused, unexcused? Will the kids be allowed to make up any missed work? Will they receive zeros for the missed days?

2) Your kids. Will they be able to catch up? If they receive zeros for the days missed how adversely will it affect their overall GPA? Are they okay with a hit to their GPA? Are they okay with doing the make up work in addition to their regular work?

Yes, in the long run it is, of course, your decision to take them out or not. If you choose to do so just be aware of the consequences or penalties beforehand and be willing to accept them if need be.

Too many times people on the DIS feel that because their kids are super gifted, have never had a grade below A+, and haven't missed a day of school since they started pre-school they shouldn't be subject to same rules as the inferior children who get average grades and get sick. Schools can't make rules just for some.

My little support for the teachers, also don't expect the teacher to go out of their way to put together your kids' work ahead of time so they stay on track, and don't expect them to spend extra time after you get back helping your kids catch up. If they need it.

Again, my kids aren't stellar students, but they could easily miss 2 days without too huge of a hit. 5 days, no way. We usually go during "Jersey Week" because they only miss, at the most 2 days.

 

[Planogirl]

I think that the parents should usually decide but I would never let DS miss more than a day and then only rarely. My father constantly nagged me that school was more important than just about anything and it stuck. We made do with all of the time off he got.

Besides they say now that there are no quiet times at the parks. I can sympathize with parents who can only go at certain times themselves though.

 

[Shanti]

Our next trip won't be until our boys are 12 and in the 6th grade. We are planning on going during their april vacation but a tuesday to tuesday -- no biggie because they will only be missing 2 days of school. Our other option would be to go around memorial day, same thing tues - tues but they would miss a total of 5 days -- this time of year the points and flights would be a little cheaper, but i am not thrilled with them missing that many days, so we will likely opt for April time.

I am just wonder what everyone's thoughts are about kids missing school to go to Disney -- is it okay for a couple days, is it not acceptable at all, once they reach a certain grade is it a big no-no? Please share your thoughts. I am guessing as they get to jr high and high school it would just be more difficult with sports and with their school work load.

As a teacher (and Disney-loving mom) one of my concerns is that you not burden your child's hardworking teacher with extra work to accomodate your vacation. So many people on the boards say '"tell your child's teacher to make a packet of work in advance" without considering that it takes a considerable amount of time and unpaid labor to put together a special packet of meaningful work for a child for a week, especially in advance, when the final plans & materials for the rest of the class aren't even complete.

Also, many states (such as Florida and my state of Texas) have challenging state tests even at the elementary level, and teachers are held accountable for student scores. If your child is not naturally a top student & you take the child out for a week, you're creating a hardship for that teacher who will have to invest extra time in the form of one-on-one time in the classroom or after-school tutorials, to make sure that child keeps up despite missing several days of lessons.

I know most posters will focus their pros and cons on the impact to the kids of missing school, and that's a primary concern, but I wanted to address a perspective you might not have considered.

Other posters might say "my child's teacher joked she wished she could go", etc, and that's likely true. We're trained to accomodate parents and be polite, but that doesn't mean it's not an imposition, and it doesn't mean the extra demands on behalf of their vacations aren't privately resented by teachers who have no choice but to do the extra, unpaid work.

None of these remarks are hypothetical, by the way. I have these demands placed on me by families who choose to vacation during the school week every year. So do my colleagues, and the "help my child make up the missed work" request is extremely unpopular among teachers, even those of us who are Disney addicts.

 

[Planogirl]

As a teacher (and Disney-loving mom) one of my concerns is that you not burden your child's hardworking teacher with extra work to accomodate your vacation. So many people on the boards say '"tell your child's teacher to make a packet of work in advance" without considering that it takes a considerable amount of time and unpaid labor to put together a special packet of meaningful work for a child for a week, especially in advance, when the final plans & materials for the rest of the class aren't even complete.

Also, many states (such as Florida and my state of Texas) have challenging state tests even at the elementary level, and teachers are held accountable for student scores. If your child is not naturally a top student & you take the child out for a week, you're creating a hardship for that teacher who will have to invest extra time in the form of one-on-one time in the classroom or after-school tutorials, to make sure that child keeps up despite missing several days of lessons.

I know most posters will focus their pros and cons on the impact to the kids of missing school, and that's a primary concern, but I wanted to address a perspective you might not have considered.

Other posters might say "my child's teacher joked she wished she could go", etc, and that's likely true. We're trained to accomodate parents and be polite, but that doesn't mean its not an imposition, and it doesn't mean the extra demands on behalf of their vacations aren't privately resented by teachers who have no choice but to do the extra, unpaid work.

None of these remarks are hypothetical, by the way. I have these demands placed on me by families who choose to vacation during the school year every year. So do my colleagues, and the "help my child make up the missed work" request is extremely unpopular among teachers, even those of us who are Disney addicts.

We're also in Texas and our district always said that no work packets would be provided. I always thought that that seemed fair because then it was the teacher's discretion to work with the child when they came back or not.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Our next trip won't be until our boys are 12 and in the 6th grade. We are planning on going during their april vacation but a tuesday to tuesday -- no biggie because they will only be missing 2 days of school. Our other option would be to go around memorial day, same thing tues - tues but they would miss a total of 5 days -- this time of year the points and flights would be a little cheaper, but i am not thrilled with them missing that many days, so we will likely opt for April time.

I am just wonder what everyone's thoughts are about kids missing school to go to Disney -- is it okay for a couple days, is it not acceptable at all, once they reach a certain grade is it a big no-no? Please share your thoughts. I am guessing as they get to jr high and high school it would just be more difficult with sports and with their school work load.

What kind of students are they?

If my kid is on track with grades and there is zero nagging about homework then yea, I MIGHT consider a couple of days in middle school.

High school, no way.

In general, after elem. school, we never took them out school for vacation.

 

[Shanti]

We're also in Texas and our district always said that no work packets would be provided. I always thought that that seemed fair because then it was the teacher's discretion to work with the child when they came back or not.

I wish more districts had that policy. But keep in mind, it is the helping the child catch up that is just as much an issue as the packets. I had a struggling student last year, had already missed a week due to illness & whose attendance was spotty in general. His mom pulled him for a week's vacation two months before the big state tests. I had to tutor him for free after school for weeks to make it up & barely got him past it. That created a huge amount of extra work for me and took away from my after-school time with my son on those days.

But, due partly to my free extra labor, he did pass. That mom could be one of the chorus of voices saying, "I pulled my child out every year, and he's doing fine."

 

[Hrhpd]

You are the parent, they are your kids, I would do what you want but instruct the kids not to go back to school bragging about their vacation. It will create a tough situation for the teachers.

Bill

That is true. But you also have to know the school policies. Our district, there are no makeups period for unexcused absences. Teachers are not allowed to give out homework to do while on vacation. Anything missed during the days, whether homework assignments or tests are an automatic 0.

So, in our area, it is your choice to take your child out of school. However, you have to consider whether they can take the hit to their GPA doing so.

And in high school, the teachers are notorious for giving tests the day before a vacation to dissuade people from leaving early on a vacation.

 

[Rchellbell08]

Our next trip won't be until our boys are 12 and in the 6th grade. We are planning on going during their april vacation but a tuesday to tuesday -- no biggie because they will only be missing 2 days of school. Our other option would be to go around memorial day, same thing tues - tues but they would miss a total of 5 days -- this time of year the points and flights would be a little cheaper, but i am not thrilled with them missing that many days, so we will likely opt for April time.

I am just wonder what everyone's thoughts are about kids missing school to go to Disney -- is it okay for a couple days, is it not acceptable at all, once they reach a certain grade is it a big no-no? Please share your thoughts. I am guessing as they get to jr high and high school it would just be more difficult with sports and with their school work load.

I have a young daughter who will be in kindergarten next year. So I can't really relate to missing "school" school But we have gone on a Disney vacation every year since she was 3 and last year she was in pre-preschool and I didn't much like her missing days still. I try to go the minimum amount of days missed, but when it's special trip, a vacation that your family has put a lot of effort, and money, into, I think it's more justified. I consider a Disney trip to be more of a major vacation versus a wee-lil trip, especially if it longer than 5days. Consider talking to your kids teachers about it, and ask if they would missing any major projects or tests, if they know that far ahead. It's also just good to include the teacher in knowing about it, maybe giving your kids some leniency if missing anything big. These are just things I think about doing if we go on big trips during school days. School is always important, and attendance too, but a day or two shouldn't be disruptive unless something important is missed during those days. **off the record, if I'm planning on a Disney vacation, I try to avoid missing school, but I'm not going to stress too much if a day or two is missed Disney vacations are priceless memories with your children and family, and you can only enjoy them so long when your kids are still young and full of that innocent imaginationMy child's wild imagination at five years old is what helps keeps my heart young and running free at Disney**

 

[Gumbo4x4]

As an expat who lives abroad and travels widely, I say life is too short to worry about missing school for a trip. With that said, and don't flame me, missing school year after year for Disney is not the same value as missing a week to for the wonder of Cambodia, the mysteries of India, and so on. The world is a much greater classroom than school, in my opinion!

The "issue" with that POV though is that it's always presented as an "either/or" proposition. And for the vast majority of people with the means to accomplish that level of travel, that's not an honest assessment. When I was 10, my parents took me on a 6-week long vacation - didn't miss a single day of school.

Yes, there are people who must travel during school because of their jobs.

Yes, there are people who can only afford certain destinations during school.

Yes, there are certain event-specific trips that must take place during school.

And yes, it's just more convenient at times. I get it.

But, the notion that good attendance & extensive travel are mutually exclusive by default is just not so.

 

[Missy1961]

As a teacher (and Disney-loving mom) one of my concerns is that you not burden your child's hardworking teacher with extra work to accomodate your vacation. So many people on the boards say '"tell your child's teacher to make a packet of work in advance" without considering that it takes a considerable amount of time and unpaid labor to put together a special packet of meaningful work for a child for a week, especially in advance, when the final plans & materials for the rest of the class aren't even complete.

Also, many states (such as Florida and my state of Texas) have challenging state tests even at the elementary level, and teachers are held accountable for student scores. If your child is not naturally a top student & you take the child out for a week, you're creating a hardship for that teacher who will have to invest extra time in the form of one-on-one time in the classroom or after-school tutorials, to make sure that child keeps up despite missing several days of lessons.

I know most posters will focus their pros and cons on the impact to the kids of missing school, and that's a primary concern, but I wanted to address a perspective you might not have considered.

Other posters might say "my child's teacher joked she wished she could go", etc, and that's likely true. We're trained to accomodate parents and be polite, but that doesn't mean it's not an imposition, and it doesn't mean the extra demands on behalf of their vacations aren't privately resented by teachers who have no choice but to do the extra, unpaid work.

None of these remarks are hypothetical, by the way. I have these demands placed on me by families who choose to vacation during the school week every year. So do my colleagues, and the "help my child make up the missed work" request is extremely unpopular among teachers, even those of us who are Disney addicts.

I think this is something parents don't think about. Thanks for sharing this point of view.

 

[Planogirl]

I wish more districts had that policy! But keep in mind, it is the helping the child catch up that is just as much an issue as the packets. I had a struggling student last year, had already missed a week due to illness & whose attendance was spotty in general. His mom pulled him for a week's vacation two months before the big state tests. I had to tutor him for free after school for weeks to make it up & barely got him past it. That created a huge amount of extra work for me and took away from my after-school time with my son on those days.

But, due partly to my free extra labor, he did pass. That mom could be one of the chorus of voices saying, "I pulled my child out every year, and he's doing fine."

Our district does allow makeup work within reason but no work in advance. They aren't particularly sympathetic when a kid misses school for a vacation but teachers can give makeup work and help a student.

You were really nice to help that student so much. It's a shame that parents put kids that need to be in school in that position. They just make it hard for both the kids and teachers. Of course not all kids have trouble if they miss.

 

[aprilgail]

I'm guessing most systems do have some rules set in place even if they're not often enforced. I work for a school system, and our policy is that after 5 and 8 absences, a form letter is sent to the parent(s) expressing concern over the missed class days. Following 10 absences (outside of days excused for medical reasons which must have supporting documentation), an attendance meeting usually is arranged between the principal and parent(s). This is the first step toward an eventual legal proceeding in front of a judge should it come down to that. . .which it rarely does, and then only in cases where the student has missed quite a number of days and is doing miserably in classes, as well. In the end, there has to be some method to track students who habitually skip school.

Wow- we would have had meetings every year if we had that policy LOL- I know that after 30 missed days in a school year they have the option to make them repeat the grade. Its just an option though because my daughter missed 36 days one year and wasn't left back.
After grade school I stopped taking her out for a weeks vacation a year, it just got to hard on her missing that many classes especially since she was in the honors/ap track. I did take her out for 2 days in 7th & 8th grade for long weekend trips but they were the days of state testing and we opted out of state testing anyway so all she would do is sit around doing nothing.
My daughter is in 11th grade and missed the first 3 days of school this year due to a virus, she was NOT happy. Every days she is out means more work she has to do the next day for homework so she prefers not to miss many days anymore.

 

[pocomom]

I would just add if doing it is right for your family, I would do it now...we homeschool and as much as she loves Disney I couldn't get my high school age daughter to want to miss enough class or her sports/ activities to make a during the school year trip now. All travel now will have to be during the breaks, like the rest of the world

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

We also homeschooled.

So, of course, we never had a problem with the teacher, me, giving make up work. Of course that gets more complicated when someone homeschool but also sends their child to a classroom.

 

[yeahdisney]

We have pulled our kids out of school. They were both in advance classes. We always try to plan it around school holidays to have them miss less.

At work normally no one gets lengthy time off at Christmas holidays. DH farms so we do not get to go planting time or harvest.

DS was Junior this year we asked could she miss 2 or 3 days and not be behind. Our next trip will be her senior year spring break, I believe they will miss one day.

This week kids pick their next year classes, there is only two counselors, one is not in this entire week! And it is both our kids counselor.

 

[sam_gordon]

I have a young daughter who will be in kindergarten next year. So I can't really relate to missing "school" school But we have gone on a Disney vacation every year since she was 3 and last year she was in pre-preschool and I didn't much like her missing days still. I try to go the minimum amount of days missed, but when it's special trip, a vacation that your family has put a lot of effort, and money, into, I think it's more justified. I consider a Disney trip to be more of a major vacation versus a wee-lil trip, especially if it longer than 5days. Consider talking to your kids teachers about it, and ask if they would missing any major projects or tests, if they know that far ahead. It's also just good to include the teacher in knowing about it, maybe giving your kids some leniency if missing anything big. These are just things I think about doing if we go on big trips during school days. School is always important, and attendance too, but a day or two shouldn't be disruptive unless something important is missed during those days. **off the record, if I'm planning on a Disney vacation, I try to avoid missing school, but I'm not going to stress too much if a day or two is missed Disney vacations are priceless memories with your children and family, and you can only enjoy them so long when your kids are still young and full of that innocent imaginationMy child's wild imagination at five years old is what helps keeps my heart young and running free at Disney**

Presumably if it's a "special" trip, wouldn't it be planned well in advance? Do you expect teachers to know what they're doing the "3rd week of April" when you ask them in October? Or heck, even January?

 

[CPanther95]

No problem at all taking the kids out of school for a trip to Universal, but I wouldn't do it to go to Disney.