A little off topic but, I agree sometimes taking the kids out of school for a family vacation is ok. We did it once a year when our kids were growing up.
My daughter took her kids out for 5 days last month for a cruise on the Fantasy for their daddy's 30th birthday, we all had a great time.
A week after we get back, she received a letter from the school that she had to go to a meeting to explain the absences. The letter even said that the state attorney could subpoena the kids attendance records because of the absences. We were shocked. She called and handled on the phone but really, they are their kids.