Does anyone take their kids out school for DVC?

[Shellybird]

Hi --

Newbie here. Does anyone here take their kids out of school to go on their Disney Vacation? I'd like to, since all the times they're out during the year, it's too packed. I'd really like to go in early Dec. when points and Christmas are all up. But, I haven't decided how to handle that. Both are good kids, good at school. Good attendance. I'd really like to do this for the disney cruise as well, much easier to get spots.

I'd like to hear if others do this. And if you do, does it work out all right with the schools? And if you do not, why not, and when do you go?

thanks,

Michelle

 

[DisneyWorld Delight]

We travel to Walt Disney World each January and always take DD out of school. My DH is in constrution and vacationing during the summer is not an option. We love the parks this time of year, relatively empty and beautiful weather. We have never had a problem with school. Up to 5 days can be used for vacation in our school district. Just have to fill out the forms for permission and usually write a "Journal" while on vacation.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I am taking my kids out of school for our trip in October. I planned the dates around their school calendar and picked a week they already had two days off. Therefore, they will only miss three days. Somehow I don't feel quite as guilty since they're not missing a whole week!

 

[DrTomorrow]

Here's a thread on this topic from the Theme Park forum that discusses it in depth.

The two main concerns seem to be:

1. More and more school districts are tightening their "unexcused" absence policies - only allowing 5 per semester, and NOT counting a vacation as "excused".

2. As children get older - that is, High School age - missing a week or more of class can much more difficult, or impossible, to make up.

 

[rocketriter]

We're going to BCV during a week in October when, because of a holiday plus a teacher's institute, the kids will only miss 3 days instead of 5. However, as our oldest has just entered middle school, this will probably be the last time we try to get away with this. It's not just the hookie law, it's the missed work and tests in school that deter us. After this, our next trip will follow our oldest's Bar Mitzvah in June of 2006, at a time when school is already out.

 

[SueOKW]

It's an easy decision for us as my DS (oldest child) is in a wheelchair. Spring, summer and winter breaks are too hot and/or too crowded for him!

We check with the princiPALS (i always remember that PAL bit..), and teachers. Right now my next oldest is only in 7th grade, so it hasn't been hard yet. We live in a small school district where we are well known as being involved parents with a special situation to cope with.

I'm not sure what we will do when high school rolls around! Cross that bridge later, I guess.

 

[pplasky]

Just want to say that as an educator I think this is horrible. Schools have a hard enough time educating our youth. It sets a bad tone, letting young children believe that a vacation to Disney is more important than getting an education. While you may be good parents and make sure they make up all the work, it sets the example that school is not as important as a vacation.

 

[BigDisneyKids]

I know I'll be flamed here, but oh well. Yes, we take our DK's out for vacation and don't regret it at all!

We've been doing it for a few years now, usually before or after a holiday to help minimize the impact.

We send a letter to all the teachers explaining our intentions and instruct them to provide us with all the necessary work for them to keep up. Yes, we make them do a little home work each day while on vacation. Even throughout the summer they do one hour of work each day before heading outside.

On a personal note, kids are being forced to grow up too fast as it is. Each year the school year starts sooner and ends later.

Soon enough, childhood will end at the kindergarten age. It seems now that from first grade on throughout adult hood until retirement, there are no more breaks. They are forced to rise early, work hard and end late (sound familiar?).

FWIW, they are only kids once, let them enjoy it while they can.

 

[boston1029]

We'll be taking our 2 DS's in October. I feel that I'm promoting family time, not telling them that school isn't important. We also will write a note to school and request work for them, but if the school doesn't want to do that, then the boys will deal with it when they get back(as will we). This will be the first time we've taken them out of school for a trip in 4 years and it's our first with just the 4 of us.

I agree w/ BigDisneyKids, the kids have to grow up to fast, we all need to stop and smell the funnel cake.

 

[rocketriter]

Originally posted by pplasky
Just want to say that as an educator I think this is horrible. Schools have a hard enough time educating our youth. It sets a bad tone, letting young children believe that a vacation to Disney is more important than getting an education. While you may be good parents and make sure they make up all the work, it sets the example that school is not as important as a vacation.

Please make judgments based on the whole story. In our case, we're celebrating the milestone birthday of my wife's brother, who lives with his partner in San Francisco. Although they've been together for over 25 years, others in our family have been unkind to him. We designed this trip, in which he and his partner will join us as our guests at BCV, as a clear statement to the family and an important teaching example to our children. If you wish to disapprove of that, go ahead. But we consider this a once-in-a-lifetime educational opportunity that our children will always remember and cherish.

 

[cewait]

You know it's really a personal decision. It depends on your kids, how well they are doing in school, how easy it is for them to make up missed material and what level they are in school. When our daughter was in elementary school we neve took her out for any reason. Then in middle school, we took her out for a one or two day visit to the mouse house. We saw no real harm, especially since one of the days was a field trip to the local amusement park. When she was in high school, we took her out during the first week of January. I run the marathon and it makes a nice winter break. Her senior year, we left her home because she wanted to keep her attendance up to avoid finals. I think it was to party, but that is a different story.

I think every one has valid points here!

Charles

 

[LisaSt]

Yes for 2 weeks every Dec then they go back for a week and are off for X Mas holidays. Wer tend to go the first 2 weeks of Dec sometimes te last week of Nov first week of Dec. We also do not have the attendance policies that many US schools have as our funding is not connected to student attendance in Canada like the US.

 

[Marla Hellwig]

I have done this only once and it was just last week. DD only missed 4 days of school (8th grade - middle school) and she was able to get all the work she missed done the first night and it was all turned in the next day.

Would I do it again - not sure - with her starting high school next year probably not

She did have some education while there - watching Hurricane Charley from our hotel windown and the after effects of a hurricane

 

[Toby'sFriend]

The last time we did it, my oldest son was in the 6th grade. It worked out ok, but he did have to spend some time each day doing homework and I also had to put work in keeping him caught up in his Math class. Beyond that grade with his homework levels...I can't even imagine it.

At the time his teacher told me that very few kids ever return with the work packet she prepares completed. I think that is largely what frustrats many teachers. They are asked to do extra work to help the student out, and then the family doesn't follow through. Then the teacher has to do more extra work to catch the kid up.

it sets the example that school is not as important as a vacation.

I would disagree with that. I think it sets an example that balancing your work life with your family life is not always easy. I also think it says that family time is just as important as anything else you might have going on. My oldest kid is in High School now and it is becoming all too apparent that we don't have many years left until he is out of the house. I'm going to do whatever I can to make the most of them.

 

[LisaSt]

Well said Toby's friend. Our oldest daughter had all her work done on the drive to WDW and had nothing left to do when we arrived.

 

[LoveMyDVC]

I'd take them out. You only live once and what they don't learn in elementary and middle school isn't gonna make a difference in the job market (the week they miss I mean).

 

[zurgswife]

Originally posted by pplasky
Just want to say that as an educator I think this is horrible. Schools have a hard enough time educating our youth. It sets a bad tone, letting young children believe that a vacation to Disney is more important than getting an education. While you may be good parents and make sure they make up all the work, it sets the example that school is not as important as a vacation.

Educations is very important in our family....But The Lord and Family are the most important.....

So, yes vacations with the family are more important then school....We place a large emphasis on family in our house hold and vacations just happen to be a part of it....does this mean we pull our kids out every year...NO...but when going at non school vacation time becomes an option pulling the kids out of school isn't a large factor in stopping us. Next year with my oldest starting high school that is on block scheduling ....that might change things some....we will cross that bridge then...

My kids do very well in school, the teachers know about the pull out in advance, they complete all work assigned, and they go to a very small church school so we don't have any unexcused absence limitations...

 

[DisneyMim]

Just wanted to add that I've always read these stories and laughed. My husband is a teacher and I wonder what the school would think if I took him out of school for a week!! Seriously, I've always wanted to go during an "off" time. We've never been able to. My husband would not take the kids out anyway even if he somehow had the time off. We have taken one day here and there at times due to plane schedules. In our school district it is getting really hard to take any time off (students and teachers). You can not have more than 6 absences in a semester (students), and most teachers will not give homework in advance. We've always thought that we have enough time off and try to plan our vacations around school schedules. On another note, my son is in HS and is a three season athletic. Coaches are very strict about missing practices, meets, games, etc. My son hates to miss anything because that would mean he would not be allowed to compete. This is a very personal decision. Tthank goodness DVC is so flexible. We've been members since 1991 and have never had a problem planning a vacation.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I don't have kids, but if I ever do have kids, I probably would as long as I felt that they were doing okay and could catch up easily. When I was in school, my parents always took my brother and I out for a week to go.

The schools & teachers never minded. Of course, this was back in the 80's and I think attendance policies were lighter than. I always was an A or B+ student and leaving for a week to take a trip with my family never hurt me, nor did it hurt my brother who was 5 years behind me.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I'm a little ticked off at our school district. DS6 started 1st grade at public school this year, taking time off before has never been a problem. Well, this year the school district is cracking down on truancy, and they are only allowed 5 "truant" (unexcused absences) days for the whole year, and if there are 3 or more in a row, apparantly there is a problem, too. We are taking him out for 2 days, and when I asked at the office if a family trip was considered an excused absence, I was told only in case of visiting a family member with an illness......

I guess I shouldn't get ticked off, it's probably a good thing. And I can't think of any other reason that I would take DS out of school as an unexcused absence.

I read on another thread about someone taking their DD out for 2 weeks! I can just imagine what my school district would do about that! Our whole family would probably end up in jail....

My reasons for going off season are purely selfish-we don't like HOT or crowds...We can do as much in our 5 day vacation as others can do in a 10 day stay...

I sometimes laugh when parents try to justify WDW as an educational experience. Ok, Epcot is educational..But we all know that it's the fun and family time that keeps us going there..I guess you could justify a trip to the playground as educational if you really had to. JMO, of course...