? For those who take their kids out of school

[Twinkies]

Is there a maximum number of absences before a child will not proceed to the next grade (assuming academic performance is fine)? I've got a 3rd Grade DD and a 5th Grade DD.

Thank you for any insight.

 

[eek40]

Hi there, every school district is a bit different on the rules for absences. You may want to check with them directly, normally its not a big deal but in some schools it can be.
Aimee

 

[disneychrista]

Also check to see if your kids can do "independent" study for the time they are gone. If it works like ours does your kids will get work before they leave and have to turn in it when the get back to school. The best part is that they are counted as being at school during the time you are on vacation.

My oldest DD also did this when she had her tonsils out.

 

[Mortlives]

It really does depend. Our school board "strongly discourages" extended absences for the purpose of vacations. They go on to define an extended absence as being 2 consecutive weeks or more. However, we don't take DS out for that long, and we always have the teachers give him work to do. He does well with independent study, so we aren't concerned.

Kungaloosh!
Morticia.

 

[Amyality]

Hi. Our school district will not allow a child who has missed more than 25 days go on to the next grade. Son never misses (he is in 1st grade) but, we are taking him out the 5th through the 15th. One of those days school is closed so he will miss 6. I contacted his teacher yesterday and asked her for as many assignments as possible and told her I purchased an overnight express envelope which will be pre addressed to us at our hotel. She is going to send us additional work plus the contecnts of his "weekly communication folder" mid vacation. I also included an appology for taking him out during the school year, we are attending a family reunion in Disney so, I didn't really choose the date but, did choose to attend. She was very good about it and said that with the advance notice she could have most of his work ready and would send his journal home so he can write about his trip. We are planning to work on scool things a little bit each afternoon. Best,
Amy

 

[Amirah95]

Here in our town (Short Hills) children are allowed up to 17 days of absence before they are held back a grade.

 

[dzneelvr]

Be SURE and check with your school not only for maximum absences but also for the policy/procedure for getting "excused absences".
We took our kids out of school for WDW up until Jr. High and did not have a problem. We followed the rules carefully, gave PLENTY of advance notice, and used school holidays and weekends as best we could. If your school knows you are trying to work with them, they will work with you.

Also--it's a good motivator for your children. let them know at the beginning of the year that you may be able to get them excused from school if they are getting As and Bs. I wouldn't have been so ready to discuss a WDW trip if they were getting worse grades--in fact, we just wouldn't have gone.

 

[mketting]

As a teacher I will say this.

School is very important, but family comes first.

For some children missing a week of school would be devasting . If you are regularly involved in you child's school/education than you will know if missing a week or more of school would have a substantial effect on their ability to succeed. If it won't than by all means go!!! A schools bark is definitely worse than it's bite in this area.

As a parent and teacher I will agree with an earlier poster that giving the teacher notice of the abscence in advance with a polite request for assignments is usually received well, especially if you have built any kind of relationship with the teacher. They may not be thrilled but Oh Well!!

I work with problem kids who are not succeeding in the regular school enviroment. 90% of them come from lousy home situations. In my opinion families that make taking time for each other a priority have children who succeed and missing a week or 2 to spend time together will only increase the child's ability to be successful because they are secure in the knowledge that they are loved and cared for.

Sorry so long.

 

[logan1_2000]

We take DS, 3rd grade now, out of school to coordinate with his cousins who go to WDW on Jersey Week, which is off-peak so the crowds are lower and the quality of the experience is higher even before the opportunity to be w/ family seen only occasionally. And DGrandmother will be on this trip as well next week. Have also taken DS out of school for DCL cruises twice, once to coordinate with an extended family trip for another grandparent's 60th birthday, and once as DW's 40th b'day surprise cruise. (And the $ difference in cruising during school vs. during school break is often around 50%).

Do we value education? I'm a second generation ivy league graduate, as is DW, my mother was a teacher for 27 years and DW works in my son's school. We are lucky--he is a straight A student and when I have asked for advance handouts his 1st grade teacher laughed, said don't give it a second thought, and then gave snorkeling recommendations--she was so excited for him! Now I do have limits--next DCL will be over spring break because missing 3 days of school, paired w/ no school on election day, next week (yes, we will be in a theme park on election day, and I hope the absentee ballot I mailed doesn't get lost!) so I did not want to push things and pull him out twice in one school year.

I have read threads on the boards about really draconian school districts. They don't get it and my sympathies for those who live there--and here's a hint...move or otherwise change schools, if they are that harsh about attendance there must be big problems there that make learning almost an after-thought of discipline and bureaucracy. For everyone blessed with schools that understand the value of family and a happy childhood, enjoy!

 

[laceemouse]

Our school distict frowns upon taking kids out for vacation, but I am not really sure what the rules are. I can tell you that the older a child gets, the harder it gets to miss. By Junior High you have different teachers for each subject, and they won't really "help" a kid make up the work. You are really on your own to find out what you missed. We are in a very competitive school district, almost every kid goes to college, many Ivy League. My oldest is in gifted, and the work load is even more intense. Most of the learning is "hands on" stuff that can not be made up by a work sheet. I hope we never have to leave this district. Do we not value family time? Let's see....we have dinner together every night, family activities every weekend, and 2 or 3 vacations a year (only one of which is sometimes Disney, we want our kids to see it all!) And, we still manage to have the kids in school almost every day. We get lots of time off, it just is not always when Disney is cheaper, cooler, and less crowded. I feel sorry for people in schools where they can miss a week or two and not miss anything important! But if you are okay with your kids missing at any age, just be sure to check with your school about policy.

 

[Stimpy]

We live in one of those "really draconian school districts". Taking a child out for a vacation is an "unexcused" absence. It's also one of the best school district academically in the area, so we won't be moving or putting our kids in another school. Our teachers are not allowed to give us any work beforehand. They could get in big trouble if they are caught doing it. Personally, I don't understand the reasoning since I feel as long as the kid is doing well in school, family should be a priority. But, since we are the parents, we are taking DS out of school in December for a week. In the future, we are going to try and work around minor vacations days (ie. Columbus Day, Veteran's day etc.)

A neighbor was just telling me how he had to call the school every day his kids were out while they were on the cruise. He was paying $1.99 minute to call from Grand Cayman!

We let the teacher know in September that he will be out and I will write a note a week or two before just to let her know he will be out.