Children Missing School

[deedeew80]

Thanks so much everyone for your feedback. We have decided to just go at the end of August. I feel that my daughter being in 5th grade next year and it being only a few weeks into the start of the school year, missing a week of school could be tough. I asked her opinion on it and she wasn’t too sure about it either. As much as I would love to go with the rest of our family, my kids come first! Yes, August is hot, but so is the end of September. Going in August will also allow for us to stay an extra two days if we want and we aren’t forced to be home at a certain time. I always went the end of August as a child. If my family wants to accompany us to Disney they will have to change their plans and come when we go! Lol! Thanks again everyone!

 

[robinb]

Thoughts on taking your children (or if you’re a teacher, missing students) out of school for a vacation? We are planning a trip to Disney next year. We were originally going to go the end of August so that the kids wouldn’t miss school, but my parents and two of my brothers, and cousins are all going the end of September. This would mean I would have to take the kids out of school for about 6-7 days. My daughter would be in 5th grade and my son in 3rd grade. We went to Disney this past November and the kids had to miss school, same amount of days. They were fine. Teachers gave them work to do while we were gone. I think my son will be fine. My daughter will be in middle school then so not too sure about that yet. Both my kids are smart kids so I don’t think it will put them too far behind. I don’t know what to do. I know I have a year to think about it but we will probably put our $200 deposit down next month and then a free dining discount will hopefully be out in January and I would have to jump on that quickly before it’s sold out. Only reason I’m worrying about this now. Lol!

I would be hesitant to take a middle schooler out of school for 6-7 days (I'm assuming you're talking about school days which is a week and a half). Teachers cover way too much information in middle school and she will likely miss A LOT that can't be covered with homework sent along on vacation.

 

[Magical2017]

I am a former elementary teacher. I have taken my kids out, and have had families take their kids out for vacation. Learning takes place beyond the walls of a classroom. If the child is a good student and does not find missing school stressful, I say go for it.

 

[Lorajo]

We’ve taken our kids our every year. We are in Canada and aren’t going to miss our short summers here and I can’t get away in the spring. Also need to escape to make it through the winter!

The teachers aren’t allowed sending work but they supportive. I like going right after report cards when assessments are complete. Around here, December before Xmas is a great time to miss less curriculum.

 

[ErinsMommy]

When our daughter was little, like grade 2 and lower, we had no problem pulling her out of school for a week because the schoolwork she missed was SO easy to catch up with. We did it again in grade 5 and a world of difference and never again. We now go in November because we have half day "election day" and the same week Thursday & Friday school is closed for "teachers convention", so although she's missing Monday & Wednesday the amount of work they do in those 2 days is very minimal.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I say do what works for your family.

I took DS out until he was in about 3rd to 4th grade. And the last time I took him out his teacher wasn't pleased and let me know she didn't have to give him his work ahead of time. That's when I really grasped that I was inconveniencing her so I could go on vacation. We had already planned not to take him out anymore but that sealed the deal for me.

Now DS is in college and DD is in 8th grade but she goes to the high school. The high school has a strict attendance policy. If you miss more than 4 unexcused days in a marking period you are put on an academic probation and all of your grades go to below failing. If during the next marking period you don't miss that many days they bring all of your grades back up to the actual grade you earned.

With one in college and one in middle school it makes timing family vacations pretty difficult. We have to go in the middle of summer since I refuse to vacation during Christmas break. Even their spring breaks are different. So right now that's what we are doing...vacationing in July.

I did pull DD out last year during Jersey Week (we live in NJ). Our district is closed 3 days and the other two days are half days so I pulled her. Plus one full day. She didn't mind it but she told me she would never want to miss a week. DD is in honors/accelerated classes and she can be a perfectionist. She wouldn't fully enjoy vacation because the thought of all of the work she is missing would loom over her and cause her stress. And if we brought the work with us she would go in a panic and try to finish it all before she would allow herself to have fun.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Thanks so much everyone for your feedback. We have decided to just go at the end of August. I feel that my daughter being in 5th grade next year and it being only a few weeks into the start of the school year, missing a week of school could be tough. I asked her opinion on it and she wasn’t too sure about it either. As much as I would love to go with the rest of our family, my kids come first! Yes, August is hot, but so is the end of September. Going in August will also allow for us to stay an extra two days if we want and we aren’t forced to be home at a certain time. I always went the end of August as a child. If my family wants to accompany us to Disney they will have to change their plans and come when we go! Lol! Thanks again everyone!

I'm in NJ and we start after Labor Day so end of August has been good for us. Plus there's always good deals that time of year!

 

[Riddler1103]

I am a former elementary teacher. I have taken my kids out, and have had families take their kids out for vacation. Learning takes place beyond the walls of a classroom. If the child is a good student and does not find missing school stressful, I say go for it.

We're taking our daughter out of school for 2 days for a trip in January. She's only just starting kindergarten at the end of August. However, I'd still take her out of school even if she was in upper grades, because we can't handle Florida in the summer months. In either case, as long as it is something you and your family are comfortable with, then don't worry about it. Everyone is different, and I completely agree.... learning takes place beyond a classroom too!

 

[cdoc29]

With a child who has Autism and school that doesn't have a good program that fits which results in my child missing chunks of school due to the schools insistence you can't sell me on how important it is that they don't miss time for vacation. If it was that important they wouldn't be telling us, sorry we have a sub for the next three days so maybe your child should stay home.

 

[Redfraggle19]

so timely as we booked a september trip and my dd is going into 7th grade and my son is starting K - they start school on 9/03 and 9/4 respectively. . .

The person who turns out to be my son's kindy teacher is a family friend. . and before we knew he had her i hypothetically asked her. .. she was like "honestly .. don't stress about it". . . he will be fine and perhaps he will receive a "magical packet" to do over vacation (she already knew she had him in her class lol). . .she's also a DVC/AP soooo there's that.

this will be the last time we can do it for this long (9/11-9/20) because my daughter will be in high school next year (8th grade here) and she's a swimmer so fall is her swim season. .. . .

 

[Sandiz08]

We take our kids out of school for Disney trips, but only three days max as that is the unexcused limit for our school district. We could push it, but I really don’t want to. Some teachers care about make up work, others don’t. There have been kids who “ask” permission to visit foreign countries for extended periods of time and it has been accepted. But of course, there are rules in black and white that say you could get into big doo doo over it. I’ve learned to do what feels best to you and your family as these rules are not always applied equally. I think it’s different when you pull your kids out for Disneyworld vs. your kids being truant for no reason.

 

[disney11fan]

Thoughts on taking your children (or if you’re a teacher, missing students) out of school for a vacation? We are planning a trip to Disney next year. We were originally going to go the end of August so that the kids wouldn’t miss school, but my parents and two of my brothers, and cousins are all going the end of September. This would mean I would have to take the kids out of school for about 6-7 days. My daughter would be in 5th grade and my son in 3rd grade. We went to Disney this past November and the kids had to miss school, same amount of days. They were fine. Teachers gave them work to do while we were gone. I think my son will be fine. My daughter will be in middle school then so not too sure about that yet. Both my kids are smart kids so I don’t think it will put them too far behind. I don’t know what to do. I know I have a year to think about it but we will probably put our $200 deposit down next month and then a free dining discount will hopefully be out in January and I would have to jump on that quickly before it’s sold out. Only reason I’m worrying about this now. Lol!

Go. If the kids are average to above average students.

 

[MudQueen22]

I teach, and our school district is very strict about absences. We have a large population of students from poverty, and many of those students come from homes where the parents think nothing of keeping them home simply because the child didn't feel like attending school that day. We also have a decent size population of students from families that can afford vacations, and we often have students missing for vacations.
Between the two populations, our school district loses A LOT of money from the state due to attendance. When they find themselves in truancy court, they holler and pitch fits like four-year-olds in the cereal aisle that the school only wants money. It would be awesome if our funding were tied to something with which we had greater control than whether or not students attend classes, but unfortunately we need every cent. My colleagues and I have had our take-home pay decrease for six consecutive years because the school district cannot afford raises sufficient to combat our risings medical insurance premiums.
With the revenue down, our pay goes down, the budget for materials goes down (and we end up purchasing those materials from our own pockets--with our shrinking take-home pay), and parents accuse teachers of being "bad, uncaring teachers" when they do not use their personal time after work to compile work for the child leaving for vacation and for not wanting to deal with the red-tape of a grade change when the work isn't turned in on time.

I would LOVE to take a vacation during the school year. I see the benefits so much. Lower crowds. Lower cost. A nice break in the middle. Our family would love to do it. Even if the school district would hire a sub for me to take a vacation (they won't), my children would not be excused for the days missed. And I know that their teachers would not be required at all to give the make-up assignments for their unexcused absences. And of course, there is all the class subject content they would miss. That's the biggest concern, really. They can overcome a few zeroes; they can't magically know material that they haven't been taught.

Our school district has recently adopted a different calendar, and I'm hoping it makes a difference in attendance with our vacationing students. We will attend school for a greater portion of the summer, while having a bit more time in the winter and spring.

 

[ShayBells]

I think listening to your kids and knowing the school district is important. Everyone is different. I am taking my 5th grader out for 5 days this year middle of September. I honestly believe he will be fine. But this is definitely the year we will see if he catches up easy or if he doesn’t we won’t be going again during school time. I basically never went to school and graduated with high honors, and that was each and every year. I was always out on vacations once a year and to be honest I hated going and my mom was a push over but I never let my school work slide. I know other kids can miss a couple days and struggle to keep up. I’ve been taking my child out every other year for a while and he’s always stayed up with school work, but I get what you’re saying with the 5th grader but I think this is a good year to try and see, but I’ll go back to what I said at the beginning to talk to your kid and if she feels like she doesn’t want to miss then don’t go but if she feels fine about it (if even unsure, but fine) and wants to try I say definitely go. Family vacations especially extended family vacations are my most treasured memories because I don’t have a lot of them and wish there would have been more.

 

[Ecomommy09]

With a child who has Autism and school that doesn't have a good program that fits which results in my child missing chunks of school due to the schools insistence you can't sell me on how important it is that they don't miss time for vacation. If it was that important they wouldn't be telling us, sorry we have a sub for the next three days so maybe your child should stay home.

Fortunately for most, they don't have our autism problems, so missing school is a big deal. We're going for E's tenth birthday, and she will miss a week of school. Oh well. After all, I just LOVE when they call me to inform me she has an unexcused absence, after THEY called to tell me I had to come and get her. Thanks. And, it sounds like you need to call the school board/superintendent and have a serious discussion about IEPs and services. Good luck!

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

Thoughts on taking your children (or if you’re a teacher, missing students) out of school for a vacation? We are planning a trip to Disney next year. We were originally going to go the end of August so that the kids wouldn’t miss school, but my parents and two of my brothers, and cousins are all going the end of September. This would mean I would have to take the kids out of school for about 6-7 days. My daughter would be in 5th grade and my son in 3rd grade. We went to Disney this past November and the kids had to miss school, same amount of days. They were fine. Teachers gave them work to do while we were gone. I think my son will be fine. My daughter will be in middle school then so not too sure about that yet. Both my kids are smart kids so I don’t think it will put them too far behind. I don’t know what to do. I know I have a year to think about it but we will probably put our $200 deposit down next month and then a free dining discount will hopefully be out in January and I would have to jump on that quickly before it’s sold out. Only reason I’m worrying about this now. Lol!

If you take your child out of school for vacation, please don't ask the teacher to prep extra work in advance. That creates a lot of extra work for teachers when multiple families do it over the course of a year.

 

[North of Mouse]

I don't know any teachers that usually weigh in here say to take your children out of school for vacations - lol - think it's something built into them! But, I'm in the camp of it's the parents that have the responsibility to make that decision.

But, I will say, we always took our children (3) out of school for vacations - yes, even through high school. They were honor roll students, and we, as well as they, always kept good relationships with their teachers, school in general. Never had problems (are out of school now) and they always made up any work (if due). This was in a total of 5 states (dh work transfers).

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

I \ They have only ever been taken out for illness or medical appointments/procedures in the past. I agree that it is going to be entirely case/child specific but there is something to be said about still taking the kid who isn’t an academic superstar.

What are your thoughts on this? In a similar position.

 

[gorkt]

We take a middle ground approach. We usually go during Jersey week, taking the kids out for 2-3 days of school that week. Also, we go only every 3 to 4 years. I don’t see that pulling a kid out for vacation for a few days every few years is going to make any significant difference in their education. It ended up only being a problem one time in middle school, and that was because my daughter ended up getting sick that semester and missed a lot of school. We ended up working it out with the administration.

There are kids who miss school for vacation every year, up to two weeks or more. I think that is excessive, but a week here or there is not problem.

 

[WonderlandisReality]

What are your thoughts on this? In a similar position.

Personally, we are going to do it. My youngest is repeating Kindergarten this year but has disabilities from birth and a low IQ. It’s worth it to spend the family time together and we are being supported by her teachers to take the trip. If this weren’t the case I may be reluctant.