Any luck getting school absence excused??

[momof2mouses]

I am thinking that I might can get the school absences for my 10 yo DD and my 5 yo DD excused when we go to WDW in August on the grounds of educational experience. Anyone had luck with this? If so, how did you go about it?

 

[RMulieri]

Depends on your school systemI know here where I live , unless it is medical problem/illness, a family death,or a religious trip of some sort it is unexcused.Good luck

 

[DarbyB]

I just said my DS will be having his last day on Firday, May 23rd and they said okay. Now it is most likely going to come up as unexcused, but how much can a first grader miss out on??

 

[barkley]

Depends on your school systemI know here where I live , unless it is medical problem/illness, a family death,or a religious trip of some sort it is unexcused.Good luck

yup.

some of the school districts now even list in the attendance policies that vacations are specificaly excluded from excusable absences. in our state after the first unexcused the school contacts you, and after you reach a certain number (theres a set number for within a single month as well as within a school year) the school has to report it as a violation of the law to the superior court. even if you don't exceed the school work done during that period of time may not be eligble for make up (our district permits teachers to determine if they will/will not permit the student to do the work or have the absences affect their grade).

check your school handbook, and then check to see if your kid's individual teachers are empowered with classroom specific rules.

 

[LAH LAH]

It technically is an un-excused absence...

...I would go with that and not try to manipulate the system with an "educational experience" excuse.

But either way I hope you have a wonderful time!!!!

 

[allison443]

I am thinking that I might can get the school absences for my 10 yo DD and my 5 yo DD excused when we go to WDW in August on the grounds of educational experience. Anyone had luck with this? If so, how did you go about it?

I have never dealt with this personally, but what is the issue with having an "unexcused absence"? Does it affect whether the teacher gives makeup work, etc. or is there some other reason to care whether the absence is excused or unexcused?

 

[Taja]

I have never dealt with this personally, but what is the issue with having an "unexcused absence"? Does it affect whether the teacher gives makeup work, etc. or is there some other reason to care whether the absence is excused or unexcused?

In most public school districts, attendance affects the federal funding the schoold receives--and quite likely local/state funding, as well. Specific excused absences may be eligible for funding, while unexcused absences are not.

Unfortunately, many of our schools seem to be stuck in the pre-industrial revolution days when it comes to the school year. Many adults cannot take time off work for vacation when their children are out of school. A viscious cycle!

 

[Elmo888]

In most public school districts, attendance affects the federal funding the schoold receives--and quite likely local/state funding, as well. Specific excused absences may be eligible for funding, while unexcused absences are not.

It just really depends on your state and school district, so I would find out what the policy is.

Our school district doesn't define excused or unexcused. Absences are lumped together, no matter what the type. If the child isn't there at 10 am on a school day, the school loses money. The state doesn't care what the reason is (as far as I know). (The attendance can be adjusted if a child is late from a doctor appt., etc.)

I just know the "magic" numbers - 10 days, and the state requires that we are given a warning. 17 days, and my child goes before a board or panel to decide if she can move to the next grade. So, I try to stay under 17 days!

I honestly don't know how school districts can be so strict on travel absences, at least in our area (and they aren't very strict). We have a lot of international students who travel to visit families. Often, these kids are taken out of school. I have a friend from New Zealand who is taking her kids out for two weeks.

 

[rt2dz]

Read through your school handbook very carefully. I found a little clause, no near the excused absence list, that stated that the principal can excuse a planned absence in advance at his/her discretion. DH made an appointment with the principal and DS absence was excused. A friend pulled her kids out for a WDW trip earlier in the year and it was not excused; she didn't talk to the principal personally and I think that is what made the difference.

ETA: The school loses the funding for the day whether or not the absence is excused or not. I don't know if this varies from state to state or not, but since the funding is federal, I highly doubt it. In our district x amount of unexcused days results in being held back. Also, unexcused absences go down in the grade book as zeros and are factored into the grades. Homework and classwork are still required to be up despite the zero. Also, in our state, you must be in attendance at minimum 80 days each semester unless medically required (provable) absences, regardless if excused or unexcused.

 

[disfan07]

Do you have pre arranged absence forms? Our county has those where you have to fill it out and have the teacher/teachers sign it before you leave as well as the administrator and it is usually excused for us if you do that but it might not be the same where you live....i would definitley check the school handbook

 

[Mickeyorbust]

Our school district does excuse pre-planned absences for family vacations, etc. They do however require the student have atleast a C or better average. And they'll give some work in advance, as well as reports to do in place of tests/quizzes that might be missed. I would call the teacher/principal and ask about the school policies.

And, here's a good letter attempting to convince the teacher it will be an educational experience. (Made DD's teachers laugh.)

http://www.themouseforless.com/downloads/kids/SchoolExcuse/SE1.shtml

 

[LadyShea]

Depends on your school systemI know here where I live , unless it is medical problem/illness, a family death,or a religious trip of some sort it is unexcused.Good luck

That's ours pretty much too. Some school districts offer the "educational purposes" option, but certainly not all. You will need to check the district's policies.

With too many unexcused absences in our district, there may be truancy charges brought against the parents, as well as the child may be held back regardless of overall performance.

 

[marlynnp]

Check with the school office. There is most likely a form for education absence requests.
I took my daughter out for 5 days this past February. Below is my request, I found a sample online and tailored it to our plans, which I attached to our district's form. Mine was approved the same day. (I also attached a few samples pages of the journal I created to the request)
One of the specific things she did was to 'interview' cast members from each of the countries in Epcot. We had a great time with this. The cast members really liked being asked questions about their home countries and it was quite interesting for us too!


DATE: January 4, 2008

TO: Mrs. xxxx, Principal

FROM: Marlynn P

RE Megan P – Vacation 2/8 and 2/11 thru 2/14

Please be advised that Megan will be out of school Friday, February 8th and Monday, February 11th through Thursday, February 14th. We ask that her absences be excused.

Our family will be out of the state during this time. While we are gone, we will be visiting Walt Disney World. We believe that Megan will be learning many things during this trip and that her education will continue during her absence from school.

Some things Megan will learn about:

• Different cultures of the world, including architecture, language, diet, and dress, by visiting the different countries in the Epcot World Showcase (Japan, China, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Canada, France, etc.). Megan will have the chance to explore the exhibits for each country and speak with natives from each country who work as cast members.
• American history by viewing the Hall of Presidents presentation in the Magic Kingdom and the American Adventure show in Epcot.
• Nature and conservation at Animal Kingdom.
• Science by exploring the Mission: Space ride in Epcot where she will have a chance to see and feel what it would be like to travel by rocket to Mars and by experiencing the Universe of Energy exhibit which teaches about fossil fuels, energy, and conservation.
• Economics by managing her own spending money and making budget decisions on how to spend her money.

Megan will also be learning about map reading by navigating in and to the different theme parks, sociological aspects of crowds including patterns and behavior, physics of the different rides, breakthroughs in technology at the Innoventions computer lab in Epcot, art and animation and the history of film, and mathematics.

Megan will also be completing a memory journal that I have created, each day during her trip. [sample day attached] She can bring a copy of this in when she returns to share with you and/or her teacher and class.

We believe this will be a wonderful and educational experience for Megan and hope you agree not to charge her with unexcused absences as a result. If it is possible for Megan to take any assignments with her to be turned in when we return, or to turn in before we leave any work that will be due while she is gone, please let us know as soon as possible.

Thank you for your attention to this. If you have any questions or need any further information, please feel free to contact me.

 

[zoemurr]

I just wrote a note that said my kids would be out for a week, we will be going to WDW. Both teachers knew in advance and told us to have fun! No one ever mentioned anything about it. We're in upstate NY..

 

[SharpMomOfTwo]

Geeze, my girls aren't in school yet, but I know for a fact that my niece and nephew, one of which is in high school, have taken 1 week off at a time, several times a year, and as far as I know, there has been no problem from the school. In fact, this past Feb DN was out sick for about a week, then was better and took another 3-4 days off to out of state (for a funeral) the next week.

 

[ameraumi]

Our school only allows for 5 unexecused absences and after that they turn you over to the truency officer. Nice, huh? Also it is up to each teacher if they allow you to make up the work. If they do not, it is a 0 for each day. So it could also effect their grades/GPA.

This year will probably be the last big vacation since DS enters HS in the fall. We will have to just take shorter vacations now (and in the heat of the summer).

 

[dogodisney]

Geeze, my girls aren't in school yet, but I know for a fact that my niece and nephew, one of which is in high school, have taken 1 week off at a time, several times a year, and as far as I know, there has been no problem from the school. In fact, this past Feb DN was out sick for about a week, then was better and took another 3-4 days off to out of state (for a funeral) the next week.

Those are usually considered excused absenses. I know they are in our county.