How many take their children out of school to go to Disney ?

[LuvsTinker]

ditto, I have taken both of my kids out of school (they're 14 yrs apart) and they've just made up the work, it depends on what time of the year it is and exams. We've taken amtrak down quite a few times and teachers have given me work in advance that they would do on the train there and on the way home. I would say go for it, they are only young for a short time!!! My daughter now is 29 and doing quite well for herself, so no harm done

Funny that you ditto me cuz my two kids are also 14 years apart And my 26 yo son is also doing quite well after missing a few days of school to go to Disney World

 

[disneyfanlincoln]

I take my child out of school, it's important family time, she growing up so fast, A trip to Disney is a time when we can concentrate on just the family and don't have to worry about the outside world. I think she really benefits from this time in terms of life skills and seems more grown up when she comes back. We did however choose when we took her out carefully and took topic work with us so she wouldnt be left behind by her class mates, I think it went well with the minimum of planning. I was very lucky that the we had the schools blessing.

 

[GreenCntryGirl]

I have and I would again.

 

[WildGrits]

Firstly I got to say I had no idea there were districts out there that would pull you into court for truancy. That blows my mind.

We normally take our vacation sometime in October. Last year we went to Central America for a week and did a lot of touring. But most of the time our vacation is to WDW.

Back in 2010 we took our vacation to WDW the last two weeks of August, coming home Labor Day. It was hot and muggy, BUT, it was also practically empty. My family would get off rides like Space Mountain and Rock N Roller Coaster and get right back on over and over.

We did one week at CBR with the free dining, and the second week at AKL with the 40% off the room. It was such a great ime and we were able to do things we never had time for before. Like Quest.

I would say if you have any concerns about pulling your kids out of school and you can handle the heat, late August was awesome. The only draw back for us was my oldest was starting High and my youngest was starting Middle School and they both missed orientation. But they lived through it.

 

[TandLMommy28]

We home school so it's different for us. I give us three weeks off for Disney--the week before because we are too excited, the week of, and the week after to relax. But it's obviously different because we make our own schedule. In my state we just need to have 180 days, it doesn't matter which days they are. So I mark off on the calendar all the days we will take off, decide when I'd like to be finished with school and then count backwards to pick our start date. Love that flexibility!

My parents pulled me out of school all the time for vacations They liked to go in the off season. I think if your kid does well and won't struggle to keep up after, go for it. You know your child better than anyone so it's something you have to decide based on your situation and the school year. For example, My junior year of high school was crazy intense. Missing a week that year would have left me too far behind to ever catch up. But senior year, most of my hard classes were out of the way and I did take a week out to go to Disney with no issues.

 

[doitforlove]

Last year my parents took my brother (17 - 12th grade) and my sister (14 - 10th grade) out of school for four days. However it was only for the first week of school and nothing really happens that week anyway. My siblings aren't the best students but I'm under the impression their grades didn't suffer.

I think that this issue depends mostly on the child's school district though. Some are more lax/accommodating than others.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

Kindergarten my oldest DD missed 2 days, 1st grade she missed 4 for Disney, and in 2nd grade she will miss 7 for a Disney cruise/few days in Disney. We got all of her work before we left for the 1st grade trip, she did it all before leaving and was fine when she got back. It depends on your child. If she was in 7th grade or up, I would not do that probably due to the more complex work they have. The school was totally fine with it and she missed no other days in the school year besides those.

 

[RMulieri]

I have and I will..She just finished 2nd grade.I won't be able to once she hits 5th grade.After 4th grade they no longer excuse vacations during the school year .Since 5th is alot of middle school prep and 6th starts Middle school.That will be the end of vacations during school ( which presents a problem for us since DH and I are restricted on our vacation usage -I can't go in the summers at all and DH can't during holidays).BUT I saw what happened to my neighbors kid when she missed only 2 DAYS of Middle School.She had such heaps and heaps of work it took her weeks to get caught up...for only 2 DAYS missed..It was insane.

 

[billdob62]

I have done it, and you sure don't want to go in August. Just get all the school work for the week or days you will be gone, and pend some time each day doing some.

 

[d1gitman]

we used to take our firstborn out of school for a week with no hesitation. we still would but attendance requirements prevent us from doing so, otherwise, we still would.

 

[DisLis]

We do it to avoid crowds. We are very careful. We give each teacher a letter explaining the absence and request any work in advance. If class time is important, we offer to complete an extra assignment in place of class time. Last time, my DD asked to never be taken out of school again because she felt overwhelmed when we returned. That was 4 years ago and she wants to try it again. We are being very careful about the dates we choose.

 

[GC&S]

We've taken our dd out of school in Sept or Oct since she was in Kind. She will be in the 5th grade in the fall. We've never had any problem. Sometimes the teacher would give her the work to make up prior to us leaving; others when we got back and she had a week to turn it in. I sometimes felt guilty about it until I started adding up all the wasted time she had at school: substitute teachers who just passed out fun worksheets, her teacher last year who was out of school for one week for the birth of her 3rd grandchild; the teacher who was out for 4 days for her own vacation; Friday afternoons for "academic assist" (playing board games disguised as learning) while the teachers graded papers, etc. I truly don't believe we are messing up her academic future by taking her out for one week while she is in elementary school.

 

[mymickeyfans]

We are taking our kids out in October. They will miss 4 days of school. DS will be in 2nd grade, DD will be in preK. We'll get homework for him to work on before we leave. In my honest opinion I don't see anything wrong with taking them out, there has to be something said for "life experiences".

Have a great time


me-
DH-
DS-7 yrs
DD-3yrs

 

[gtpoohbear]

As a middle/high school teacher for 9 years, here are my thoughts.

1. As far as legal stuff goes, a lot of districts have harsh policies on the books, but they are not enforced. I never once saw a family taken to court for taking their kids on vacation. A lot of those rules are there in case there are other issues, it's an easy way to get someone on a technicality, when the other stuff would be harder to prove. Not saying this is the case with every district, but before you assume you "can't" take them out, talk (face to face) with the teacher or principal. You might be pleasantly surprised.

2. When making the decision, the biggest factor should be how well your child is going to be able to catch up on the actual knowledge they missed learning. I see so many people worried about grades, and how many assignments, etc. But the real loss is the loss of instruction time in class. That can't be made up. If your child learns easily, and without much help, they will be fine. If they struggle at all, it's going to be tough and have lasting consequences.

3. I used to be very much against pulling kids out for vacation, but my stance has softened a bit in recent years. Do what works for your family. Family time is important, and if you are confident that it won't cause major problems, go for it. As long as both parents are on board. if one is hesitant, it will cause way too much tension to be worth it.

4. Personal situation - for the first time ever next year we are going during a non-break time. DD is doing a virtual academy for her school, so most of her work is done at home on our own schedule anyway. The only things she will miss that week are the one-day enrichment class (which is optional anyway) and the 1 hour meeting with her teacher to check her progress. Plus possibly a day of a co-op class if any are going on that month. But we decided that was worth it to go at a time when it was less hot, crowded, or expensive. DH never would have been okay with taking her out of normal school for a week, so this was a great opportunity for us to do something different this year. Our district does a two week spring break in March, and we will simply work through one of those weeks to make up the time.

 

[Eoywin]

One of the reasons I was able to convince my DH to move our trip up a year is because our DD won't be in kindergarten yet. She has an October birthday so she won't be starting kindy until she is nearly 6.

So we will get to do Disney for her birthday (which is my favorite time of the year to go) and then we'll probably stick to the summer months after that.

 

[alex9179]

They're only going to drag you in front of a judge with a ticket with excessive absences. In the district where I work, the parents have only gone before a judge when the kid misses 30ish days or so.

Good! I was preparing to give a whopper of a speech if it happened. The state of education here, the teaching for tests, how classroom time is used (they watch a lot of Pixar movies, what is that about?), the work we do at home with them. I was getting ready!

My oldest two are doing a YES class at AK. We're throwing a little focused learning in there!

 

[Magical Kingdoms]

We've done it before. We missed days for MNSSHP, and many other times.

All we did was try to collect all the work that was supposed to be done, and get it done before we left or on the way there.

As long as you know they can keep up, you're okay. We never even DO Disney unless grades are good. Last year we had to cancel because of grades. Because grades are good, that usually means work will be made up!!

 

[nooneshome]

We took ours out a few times in October during parent/teacher conference week. They don't do anything and DW always had a strong relationship with all their teachers so conferences weren't needed.

 

[andyman8]

To me, it is a matter of grade and time. I have two high schoolers now and wouldn't dream of taking them out of school for any sort of vacation. The truth is that they would miss an unbelievable amount of work and would spend the next two weeks taking tests, doing previous homework, making up quizzes, learning missed information and such.

In April, my son got very sick and missed school for a week. It took him two weeks to get all the work made up and he's a very very diligent worker and maintained constant contact with his teachers (via email) while he was sick. So, I wouldn't take my kids out of high school, ever.

During the middle school years, we never did either, but it wouldn't have been horrible doing it during 6th and 7th Grade. I would NEVER take them out within a month of exams, though.

In lower school, regardless of the time, I think it's perfectly fine for them to miss some school, but not to much (5 day tops). Just, keep in mind, most schools have attendance guidelines where if the child misses x number of days, they can't pass the course. For us, that is 10 per semester, so if your kid gets sick for a week, he or she cannot pass the course.

Mind you, we don't mind peak crowds, but if you do, your only real option is pulling your child out of school. I don't see any problem with it for elementary and some middle school age children.

 

[Flight]

How many take their children out of school to go to Disney ?

We do.

An attempt is made to obtain schoolwork for that time missed. This is done well in advance of our trip so the teacher has time to prepare. Having a good line of communication with the teachers during the school year is essential.

Any trip to other places, time spent with the family, and creating important memories are as useful as time spent in the classroom.