Taking kids out of school to go.

[LilyWDW]

I don't think the other poster said or suggested what you interpreted at all. They didn't imply that there weren't other times to go; just that the vacation they chose to take was as important as a week of school.

I also don't think that is a sad excuse, and in fact, I don't think any of us should need an excuse at all. It shouldn't be any of the school's business why I selected the timing that I did for my vacation.

Maybe there are other relatives attending who work in a service industry that doesn't permit them to take vacation while school's out. Maybe a parent has a health condition that is exacerbated by heat and humidity, or the stress of crowds. Maybe we can only afford the vacation during off-peak times. Maybe we just want to enjoy a less crowded vacation. The real point is that the reason shouldn't matter. If we decide that a family vacation is more important than a week of school, that should be our business. If our child starts to fall behind an appropriate level of education (as determined by objective testing), then the government can get involved.

To suggest that someone should "own it" implies that they've done something for which they need to account. That should not be the case. Unfortunately though, that is the case in far too many public school districts.

Here is the thing though. When you enroll your child in a school (public, private, or a homeschool option) you are agreeing to the policies of that school. Just like if you accept a job, you are agreeing to the policies set forth by your employer. You, as a parent, have to decide if those policies are okay with you. If they are not, then you have other options besides that specific schools. However, you do not have the right to just say "Well, I don't have to follow those rules because I don't agree with them." It doesn't work that way. Again, just like at your job you can't decide you don't agree with how vacations are approved and that you will just go whenever you want.

Again, I don't care in the long run one way or another, but people make this into a personal crusade almost. Know the school's policies and accept any possible consequences of your final decision. If the school has a policy that any work and tests missed are an automatic 0, then you have to be willing to accept that as what could happen. If you don't like that option, then change you dates... but don't expect the school to change their policy because your child and your vacation are "special".

 

[Gracie09]

Here is the thing though. When you enroll your child in a school (public, private, or a homeschool option) you are agreeing to the policies of that school. Just like if you accept a job, you are agreeing to the policies set forth by your employer. You, as a parent, have to decide if those policies are okay with you. If they are not, then you have other options besides that specific schools. However, you do not have the right to just say "Well, I don't have to follow those rules because I don't agree with them." It doesn't work that way. Again, just like at your job you can't decide you don't agree with how vacations are approved and that you will just go whenever you want. Again, I don't care in the long run one way or another, but people make this into a personal crusade almost. Know the school's policies and accept any possible consequences of your final decision. If the school has a policy that any work and tests missed are an automatic 0, then you have to be willing to accept that as what could happen. If you don't like that option, then change you dates... but don't expect the school to change their policy because your child and your vacation are "special".

::thumbs up::

 

[TrudyNH]

Other people may have already stated this so I'm sorry if it's a repeat. We take our son out of school every year for two weeks to travel and his teachers support us 100%. He learns geography, budgeting, respect, culture, language and so many other things that 4 walls cannot teach him. Keep in mind that my son is now in grade 8 and is A+ student who never studies. But even if he did struggle, I would step up and make a "lesson plan" for him. A vacation can cover a lot of subjects so take a couple days and make a plan.

To quote my sons teacher "don't leave your child's education in the hands of a stranger"

 

[Hooks Tink]

We are planning to do the same thing with our 2 oldest children this fall. They will get their work ahead of tiime and probably have a "special project" based on Disney to complete. I think that education is important but so is making family memories!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

September is still hot. Just thought I'd let you know in case you are expecting cool weather.

 

[owestyo]

In the UK we could get a £200 fine for taking the kids out of school however it would save £1000 going in school time. I don't need a maths diploma to tell me what the best option is.

 

[bethy]

We've done it many many times and for many other destinations besides Disney. I've never sought to get approval for our reasons from anybody. However, one catch for us was that it had to not stress my kid out. I might not care what the school district says but I do care if taking my child out of school causes them significant stress. That said, it's also a valuable life lesson for a child to learn that while they might worry about things ahead time oftentimes things work out fine and life and aren't as bad as they expected . . .

And then if you do it I would wait until she has been in school for at least a month if not longer. Just because at the beginning of the year there is a steep learning curve about how things will be done and a significant adjustment to new teachers/schools/classmates/subjects, etc.

 

[TrudyNH]

In the UK we could get a £200 fine for taking the kids out of school however it would save £1000 going in school time. I don't need a maths diploma to tell me what the best option is.

Seriously? Wow. At the beginning of the school year, the teachers have a meet/greet night for the parents and students. A big part of the presentation is talk about missing school for sports and travel. Here sports tournaments start on Thursdays during the day and run until Sunday night. So kids miss a lot! Teachers are willing to work with you on this unless grades start to drop. The same is with vacations.

We were warned the day we left for Orlando that our DS would be missing an entire unit in math and a test worth 30% of grade. DS would have 3 "detentions" at lunch upon our return to learn the lessons and then be tested. No problem. He asked the teacher if he could skip the lesson and go right to the test as I had already taught him the subject. She said sure. 2 minutes later he finished the test with a perfect score! That made me laugh. So needless to say the teachers don't mind if we miss school.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

At that age I would do it.

I did it in 2008 and 2009 when my DS was 8 and 9. The teachers were semi ok with it. I took work with us and he did homework while on vacation.

After that we stopped because once in middle school and high school it's just so much work and catching up.

Also our district has a rule that after 10 in excuses absences you appear in truancy court. We prefer 10-11 night vacations and we drive from NJ so that's two weeks right there. Not worth it anymore for us.

We go in August now. I miss the times when I could pull them out of school.

Since I am in NJ I have thought about Jersey week and doing a 7 night trip and only pulling them out for 2-3 days. But that'll be my max for my high schooler.

 

[angielavon]

We took our family (DD7, DD8, DS13, and DS18) on a 10 day trip to WDW and 3 day Disney cruise in early April (not their Spring Break). I got approved "family days" from the school and everyone was able to easily catch up and adjust when we returned. Their teachers were fine, but I got a lot of negative remarks from other parents and friends. My son was a Senior and people thought it was absolutely insane that I would "make him" miss part of his last year of school. Our vacation was truly magical and we enjoyed every minute. Our children still talk about that vacation daily. My son left for Air Force basic training this past October and at best we will get to see him a couple times a year. NOONE will ever make me feel guilty for taking that trip. It was probably the last vacation we will take together for a very, very long time and the experiences we had and the memories we made are invaluable to our family.

 

[cjbcam]

I will be taking my kids out for seven days this January. We took them out for 10 (that has been the longest we have taken them out) last year and it took around two hours to catch up on work missed and their grades never suffered and they never fell behind. I find it hard to believe a child can not catch up if you work with them and the experience they get when traveling is amazing.
When I was growing up my parents only took me on one trip and we drove from Canada to Mexico So here I was an adult that had never flown. It was very nerve wracking the first few trips flying with my DH. I was almost even scared to. So I think taking your children out shows them how to travel as well as what they learn from the places they travel.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Since I am in NJ I have thought about Jersey week and doing a 7 night trip and only pulling them out for 2-3 days. But that'll be my max for my high schooler.

I wish we had a legitimate Fall break here. The kids get a Friday/Monday off one weekend in October, and it always seems like there'd be so many opportunities to travel if it were just a little longer. Maybe not Disney (for us), but somewhere.

 

[DandSx2]

We did it 3 years in a row. Our kids are fine. Now we homeschool. Your choice. We have always had a great time in September the week right after Labor Day. Hardly any crowds. Great weather, a bit hot. Bonus, we have always had free dining.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We are thinking of going in September when Crowds are low. This would mean taking our at the time second-grader out of school for almost a week and a half. What are your thoughts on this? The temps would also be much better in September which is also a plus.

I would not hesitate to take a second-grader out of school for a family vacation. Unless they are struggling academically, I wouldn't hesitate to take any elementary school aged child out of school for the same trip.

High school is a whole different ball game. Our high school course loads are heavy here (particularly for the kids in the higher academic streams), and missing a week or more is missing a huge amount of the curriculum under the semester system. Since our DS has entered high school, all of our trips have occurred during the summer or on one of his scheduled breaks (like Christmas). Not ideal crowd or cost-wise, but definitely a better option than missing so many of his classes.

 

[Badamon]

I would not hesitate to take a second-grader out of school for a family vacation. Unless they are struggling academically, I wouldn't hesitate to take any elementary school aged child out of school for the same trip.

High school is a whole different ball game. Our high school course loads are heavy here (particularly for the kids in the higher academic streams), and missing a week or more is missing a huge amount of the curriculum under the semester system. Since our DS has entered high school, all of our trips have occurred during the summer or on one of his scheduled breaks (like Christmas). Not ideal crowd or cost-wise, but definitely a better option than missing so many of his classes.

This ^ exactly! We have pulled the kids several times in K-6, but now that they are in jr. high and high school it's jus too tough for them to miss that much. Missing the lower rates and crowds, but happy we still get to go!

 

[LilyWDW]

I would not hesitate to take a second-grader out of school for a family vacation. Unless they are struggling academically, I wouldn't hesitate to take any elementary school aged child out of school for the same trip.

High school is a whole different ball game. Our high school course loads are heavy here (particularly for the kids in the higher academic streams), and missing a week or more is missing a huge amount of the curriculum under the semester system. Since our DS has entered high school, all of our trips have occurred during the summer or on one of his scheduled breaks (like Christmas). Not ideal crowd or cost-wise, but definitely a better option than missing so many of his classes.

I would have protested SO much if my parents tried to take me out for more then a day in High School. That would not have been good... and I was a solid A/B student who had no problems in school. Those grades came easily so the type of work was not an issue. It would have been the amount of work I would have had to make up!

 

[SP123]

We have young kids so we are very much willing to take them out of school for vacations, especially Disney Vacations. They are only little once.

 

[wreckdiva]

Check your school calendar for next year. Our District has already posted their teacher work days/ etc for 2014/2015. We are trying to coordinate with the 2014 calendar to make a trip this fall and our DD7,(2nd grade) would only miss 3 days instead of 5.

 

[Collmal]

My school can place a child on independent study for trips of five days or more. I'm not sure if all districts offer this, but I would imagine so. That way, your child will not have recorded absences (provided all the work is complete). It is always best to let the teacher and school know in advance so they can prepare your child for what will be missed.

 

[AZMermaid]

No, that is not universal but a really nice option if you have it. I had a student go to India for a month and she had to be disenrolled and reenrolled. That is our policy for 10 consecutive absences (not hospital or medical issues). We have centralized enrollment which requires you to enroll at the district office, which is about 30-40 minutes away from my school and you have no guarantee that you will be placed back in the same class- although as long as they know, my attendance clerk is good about doing so.