Taking kids out of school for free meal deal

[MrsJones]

Now I am totally stressing about what to do. My daughter would be in 3rd grade and miss a week of school and my son would be in 6th which is Jr. High here in SC. I am wondering if that would be too much for them to catch up on for the beginning of the year? We could add 3 days, get the free dining, my son goes to the grown up category by September and still go cheaper than our vacation all planned out for June. I don't even know how much of a hard time my school would give me doing that, I know some parents have had a really hard time from what I have heard.

What do I do???

I knew I shouldn't have looked !!

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

Do it. They are only little once.

 

[ceecee]

I did it until DD hit middle school and then we stopped going in September. They really frowned on it and if they miss more than 2 days in a qt they can't make the honor roll.
A lot depends on the kid too, if they are good students then go for it!

 

[stephie1012]

we took DD out this month shes in preschool tho it was fine. we plan on taking her out in sept as well. We also took my brother who is a junior in highschool. HIs teachers were excited for him and it wasnt a problem at all

 

[MMPC123]

I feel for you. I have done it in the past and in NJ, they( the teachers) all say "wish we were going with you" . But here in NC, we did it again and they wanted to consider leaving her back due to too many days missed for the year.
Be ready to back up any other "sick" days with Dr's notes and if the 6th grader is a strong stundent (ours has pulled A's this year) Go For It!

We go again this April but we will be missing 2 days of school so that we can include her actual B-day. It falls after spring break and she would/should be back in school. But I want her to have her "day" at Disney

Good Luck Have Fun!

 

[pixiedustaholic]

I, too, am from SC. We decided not to take them out this year as DD was starting middle school in 6th grade. I was concerned about it being such a big adjustment. Turns out, everything went very smoothly since our middle school is awesome about keeping the 6th grade somewhat isolated from the older kids. I would talk with the principal and see where they stand. The first few weeks are usually review anyway. The two wimes we went in September were way less crowded than the 2nd week of June 2008. Good luck!

 

[Sandi]

We pulled DD for trips through elementary school with no problems. She was in a private Montessori school where it was really easy to work with her teachers and the directress. When she moved to the public middle school for 7th grade, we didn't pull her from school because we wanted to make sure the transition was good. For 8th grade (this year) we pulled her for a week to go to Mexico during DH's spring break in March. The school has a process for getting teacher sign offs and approvals, but the administration doesn't really like it. DD is an "A" student, mature and responsible. That being said, a week after our return from a great vacation, she said that she never wants to miss a week of school again. She was very stressed out after we got back. For high school, spring breaks will not be family affairs.

 

[PanandCindy'smom]

I don't have a middle schooler, but my son will be in kindergarten this fall. He starts school Aug.25 and we are going Sept. 2-7. He will get 5 days in, miss 3 and then return the day after Labor Day. We purposely scheduled around the holiday to squeeze an extra day into the trip without missing extra school. Could you plan around a school day off? I think missing a few days early in the year is not that bad. The beginning of the year is typically review and getting into a routine. Have fun whenever you decide to go!!!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Our dates are 10/1-10/10 my kids won't have school on the 1st & 2nd (they'll be in 1st & 4th grade) so they'll only miss 5 school days. We return home on Sat. so they'll have Sun. to rest before the school week.

 

[PatsMom]

I've taken DD out regularly since kindergarten and haven't really had a problem. Depends on the child and the school district. She went to private schools. Some teachers were understanding and some were more difficult.

She's a senior in high school now. She missed two weeks this year - block scheduling meant no classes repeated in the second semester so she didn't miss the same subjects. She is well within the allowed number of absences in our school district. It helps that she has probably had less than five sick days since kindergarten.

 

[jessp1021]

We are in NC and we have done it for the past 2 years and are doing it again this year! While the principal gives me guff sometimes my child is almost a full grade of his class so it is never a problem about making up his work! Actually for the past 2 years teachers have just had him work on his makeup during class! I would also check your state law about the amount of days they can miss.. our students can miss up to 10 days and I made it clear that I knew that! I usually send the principal a typed letter the first week of school and can get at least 2 cleared as educational purposes (Epcot and Animal Kingdom can back this!!) They are kids and kids deserve Dis!!

 

[dismom24]

I live in SC too and used to always take mine out for a week in Nov - either cruise or Disney or somewhere else - never had any problems. Last year, our district started a new rule that if a child missed more than 3 days in a row (without a Dr note) you would be referred to truancy court - I kid you not. They stated they would no longer allow vacations to be excused. Our district scores very low and they think this will help. I don't see it helping at all, because all of my children score very high and have always missed a week of school (at least) for a vacation. we have since decided homeschool as the best option for our youngest two - this was not the only reason, but definatey helped us make the choice (and we sure did enjoy our Nov cruise). I would just be sure to check your schools policy. The district next to us, has a wonderful policy and allows parents to work with teachers for vacation missed work.

 

[mjkacmom]

What is the work like in the middle school? Dd12 is in 7th (1st year of MS here), and there is no way she could miss a week - missing a single day is hard enough. She must've spent 12 hours on homework and projects this weekend, and has a couple of hours of homework each night.

 

[caracap]

Now I am wondering if I should have just taken my son out!! I just booked Aug 29th- Sept. 4th, right before he starts K. We have always gone the end of Sept. and loved it. I am so nervous for the crowds!!

 

[niklynn1]

I am a teacher, and for whatever my 2 cents are worth, I don't think it is a good idea for several reasons.

One, missing a week of school right at the beginning of the year is very difficult for kids. The other kids are still in the process of learning routines, getting to know each other, getting assessed etc. This puts your child at a definite disadvantage right out of the gate. This is hard to overcome no matter what grade they are in.

Second, it seems that kids are pulled from school these days for all sorts of reasons; sports tournaments out of town, dance recital practice, family vacations, etc. I regularly have students who miss multiple days of school for these reasons. I think it creates the wrong impression in kids. Rather than thinking SCHOOL is FIRST and most important above extra-curricular activities and vacations, they end up thinking school is not a priority and can be put on hold for other "more important" things. They lose their perspective on what's important.

Too many parents ask for "work" to take along, thinking that their child can do some worksheets and make up for all of that in class learning that they missed. Not so. The teacher may give your child assignments to complete, but your child is still missing out on lots of important classroom learning.

The free dining is tempting, but I don't think saving that money is worth sacrificing your child's education.

There, that's my opinion. Take it as you will.

 

[TnTWalter]

I agree with Niklynn1. It's been very very hard to give up the deals we could get during school. If it's 1 day I don't have a problem with it. We did that last year it was day before fall break and they had a half day so they missed a half day.

We decided [hubby & I] that school would come first and we have stuck to it. We want the kids to know what the priorities are for our family. They are excellent students and work hard. This year when my youngest daughter was sick with a high fever she cried because she wouldn't get perfect attendance! Poor thing.

We leave the day after the last day of school for our TWO week vacation this summer.

When our kids go to 5th grade, they actually deduct points for 'unexcused' absenses. And sadly visiting the countries at Epcot doesn't count.

If you do go, have a great time. This is my opinion and you asked for it. But if you decide to do it, make the most of it! Heck all the vacation deals 'off-season' are tempting me to homeschool!! If I only had the patience!
LOL.

 

[leighe]

I am a teacher, and for whatever my 2 cents are worth, I don't think it is a good idea for several reasons.

One, missing a week of school right at the beginning of the year is very difficult for kids. The other kids are still in the process of learning routines, getting to know each other, getting assessed etc. This puts your child at a definite disadvantage right out of the gate. This is hard to overcome no matter what grade they are in.

Second, it seems that kids are pulled from school these days for all sorts of reasons; sports tournaments out of town, dance recital practice, family vacations, etc. I regularly have students who miss multiple days of school for these reasons. I think it creates the wrong impression in kids. Rather than thinking SCHOOL is FIRST and most important above extra-curricular activities and vacations, they end up thinking school is not a priority and can be put on hold for other "more important" things. They lose their perspective on what's important.

Too many parents ask for "work" to take along, thinking that their child can do some worksheets and make up for all of that in class learning that they missed. Not so. The teacher may give your child assignments to complete, but your child is still missing out on lots of important classroom learning.

The free dining is tempting, but I don't think saving that money is worth sacrificing your child's education.

There, that's my opinion. Take it as you will.

ITA! I teach both honors and regular sections of world civ to sophomores and I am always shocked at how many days my honors kids miss. I have kids who miss entire weeks over the sniffles. I had a girl check out the other day for a tanning appointment! Then the weeks before grades come out I have students and their parents freaking out over zeros and asking for extra credit assignments.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Well, we have taken all 4 of our kids out of school 4 different times to go to Disney and it's totally been worth it. I have booked a Free Dining trip this September 4 - 13. They will be in 7th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd grades. They will already be out Sept. 7 for labor day and Sept. 8 for Teacher Inservice day, so they will only be missing 3 days of school. I have NEVER felt like I am sacrificing their education.

 

[LIBLULA]

We have taken our DD9 out for free dining for the past 2 years and are going back this September with the bounceback. She has never had a problem catching up. I wouldn't take her out if she had any difficulty in school. Our school is very understanding--just Have to fill out a planned absence form 2 weeks. Prior to the trip so the teachers can get work together for them.

 

[ribica]

Hey everyone,
I'm a new member to the boards, although I've been reading the posts here for a while. This is a great forum for all of us Disney fans - I love Disney

Just my comment to taking kids out of school - I've taken our DD8 out of school a few times now for various trips, and the school has been ok with it. My opinion is that travel really helps to make for a well rounded person, so if it means missing a bit of school, then I think it's worth it. There are some kids who have never gone anywhere, and although school is definately very important, I think that broadening a child's horizons through travel is way up there too. They are only kids for a little while...once they grow up, there's no making up for the chances that were missed.

Just my two cents