Has anyone ever taken their kids out of school for vacation?

[Gumbo4x4]

Can I ask why you keep him in that district/school? I realize all families have different circumstances, but I'm just honestly curious as to what point it would make you accept that kind of treatment. I just can't imagine dealing with or even how it practicality-wise even works. How are they able to "make" kids do the "make-up" work. I guess if they're in elementary I can kinda see it, but high school...yeah right, that would never fly here or anywhere else I've worked in. The school seems really insane and I just can't imagine willing to have our family be involved with a school like that.

I can't speak for PP, but changing schools isn't always so easy. In my case, it either means moving or paying an arm & a leg for tuition, neither of which is worth it (for us) just to get a more lenient attendance policy.

 

[SnipsNSnails]

Our kids attend a private school and there is no problem pulling them out. My 1st grader and 3rd grader missed 1 day in Oct for a weekend trip, 3.5 days before Christmas break because of a family wedding in AZ, and 3 days for our Disney trip. The Disney trip we scheduled over a 4 day weekend, they were going to miss 4.5 days for our 11 day trip but we got lucky and they also had two snow days making that 4 day weekend a 6 day weekend so they only missed 3 days. We don't pull them out for a trip each year but they almost always miss a few days before Christmas break because of plane flight costs and the fact that our school hasn't been doing 2 full weeks off and we are always headed either to AZ or FL.

 

[Disneytwinsmom]

We take our kids out every year. Our kids go to private school so they are very loose with missed days

 

[Steffiesunshine]

I always took my son out for vacations, but he went to parochial school. In October, I'll be taking my 4 year-old out of Pre-K for her first visit!

 

[jrmint2]

We use to go to Disney 2x a year when my boys were younger, usually in October and May. But we couldn't once my eldest was in 4th grade. The teachers did not approve, I guess in NYC too much is at stake. State tests, attendance, and a host of other reasons that affects the school reputation. We have to apply and interview for middle schools and high schools, and poor attendance can keep you out of the most desirable schools.

 

[Dayzy]

We pulled my son in 1st grade for a week and his teacher was fine with it. She gave us a packet of work to complete and we did it on the plane rides and took a little time mid-trip to get it done. However, his friend from class had a trip planned and because he's not a good student the teacher asked his mom to cancel the trip.

 

[Kimberly9701]

I took my son out of his private school for 9 days last year, kindergarten. He completed all makeup work and did his online reading/tests while we were on vacation. I will be taking him out for 7 days in 1st grade.

We pulled my son in 1st grade for a week and his teacher was fine with it. She gave us a packet of work to complete and we did it on the plane rides and took a little time mid-trip to get it done. However, his friend from class had a trip planned and because he's not a good student the teacher asked his mom to cancel the trip.

That is absolutely crazy!! I hope his mother didn't cancel! A school has no right to do that, all the teacher had to do was give them assignments to bring, or to make up when came home.

 

[MandiC]

We usually go in the summer for vacation but next year we are thinking the first week of May. This would require us to take my JH student from school for a week. Shes a A/B student and have no worry about her catching up. My question is how do the schools usually take something like this? What are other parents thoughts on the subject?

As you can see this differs by your own school (I have heard even within the same district people sometimes get different responses). Personally, I pull my kids out for vacations. There isn't any other good option for us. My husband cannot miss work from March-September and I cannot miss school myself now (This just recently became an issue so now our vacations are limited to my January break until I am done). We spend holidays with our family so that is not going to happen either. I am the mom that has my kids work out of summer bridge books all summer and practice while on break from school so I don't feel bad at all for pulling them a few days for a memorable family vacation. In all seriousness, if our school responded in some of the ways people have said here I would pull them and homeschool. Thankfully our district is wonderful. Our state does have a policy saying they can legally go after you for truancy for 10+ unexcused absences but I know plenty of teachers who say they have kids who miss WAY more than that, no excuse and nobody goes after their parents. When we pulled the kids for Disney last time we were told to have a magical time and that was about it. The older kids got some make up work to take with and had to write a short story about their trip. Seeing some people post about make-up work in kindergarten makes me sad.

 

[Suzie75]

I plan to do it in October for 3 days. I never thought I would do it but all of my daughter's friends do it with no negative consequences. The teacher will give you the work ahead of time. We can't afford to do it Thanksgiving/Christmas/Feb/Easter, and I have no desire to do Disney in the Summer heat. This will be a one time thing.

 

[Kimberly9701]

As you can see this differs by your own school (I have heard even within the same district people sometimes get different responses). Personally, I pull my kids out for vacations. There isn't any other good option for us. My husband cannot miss work from March-September and I cannot miss school myself now (This just recently became an issue so now our vacations are limited to my January break until I am done). We spend holidays with our family so that is not going to happen either. I am the mom that has my kids work out of summer bridge books all summer and practice while on break from school so I don't feel bad at all for pulling them a few days for a memorable family vacation. In all seriousness, if our school responded in some of the ways people have said here I would pull them and homeschool. Thankfully our district is wonderful. Our state does have a policy saying they can legally go after you for truancy for 10+ unexcused absences but I know plenty of teachers who say they have kids who miss WAY more than that, no excuse and nobody goes after their parents. When we pulled the kids for Disney last time we were told to have a magical time and that was about it. The older kids got some make up work to take with and had to write a short story about their trip. Seeing some people post about make-up work in kindergarten makes me sad.

We definitely had a ton of makeup work this year in kindergarten!, I just wish the teacher would have given us homework to take with us, instead of so much work on top of football and his other homework when we got back.
Hopefully his first grade teacher will do this in November/December. It's later in the year so maybe she will have more prepared. Our last trip was a week after school started.
I posted this pic on a similar thread as well. I was in shock. But we got it done in the required time (9 stressful days) and then life went back to normal I don't regret taking him out for 9 days.

 

[tehniqi]

My son is young still but we will with him. It's not "allowed" in our school district but I don't really care and will fib on the reason why he wasn't there and at most it would be every other year. If my son struggles in school though I probably won't because each day is so precious.

 

[DopeyDame]

We pulled my son in 1st grade for a week and his teacher was fine with it. She gave us a packet of work to complete and we did it on the plane rides and took a little time mid-trip to get it done. However, his friend from class had a trip planned and because he's not a good student the teacher asked his mom to cancel the trip.

That is so incredibly beyond inappropriate!
That poor boy. He's already struggling in school - which means he's probably not very happy there - and now he's going to feel guilty and responsible for canceling a family trip??!!?? No. Hell no. I sure hope that mom told the teacher where she can shove her canceled trip. My guess is the boy would be a much happier and healthier child with a few days of vacation than a few extra days struggling through school.

 

[DopeyDame]

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We definitely had a ton of makeup work this year in kindergarten!, I just wish the teacher would have given us homework to take with us, instead of so much work on top of football and his other homework when we got back.
Hopefully his first grade teacher will do this in November/December. It's later in the year so maybe she will have more prepared. Our last trip was a week after school started.
I posted this pic on a similar thread as well. I was in shock. But we got it done in the required time (9 stressful days) and then life went back to normal I don't regret taking him out for 9 days.

Did you actually do all that word? I can't say that we would have. If it was work that he needed to learn, than sure, but if it was just more worksheets that are already mastered than I wouldn't be too worried about it. So he gets a zero on a worksheet in Kindergarten. BFD.

 

[KristiKat]

In the past we have had to take them out for a couple days. We tried to schedule around a long holiday weekend so they would only miss 2 or 3 days. We talked with the school and they gave us folders of work that we needed to get done. It worked out okay. This year we are going to have to take them out an entire week because of my step-son's new custody arrangement. His mother now pretty much gets him whenever there is no school so we have no choice. It makes it very hard to plan vacations. They'll be going to a different school on the next trip and I'm hoping they'll work with us like the current one did.

 

[Night Huntress]

I plan to do it in October for 3 days. I never thought I would do it but all of my daughter's friends do it with no negative consequences. The teacher will give you the work ahead of time. We can't afford to do it Thanksgiving/Christmas/Feb/Easter, and I have no desire to do Disney in the Summer heat. This will be a one time thing.

That's the same with me. My son isn't the best student and will be going into 9th grade. However- I have never taken the kids out of school for anything before (besides the occasional sick day). They already get 2 of the days off for our county fair so I am just taking them out for the other 3. I hope the teachers give them the assignments to make up but at the same time, if they don't, I won't cancel my trip. We have never been to Disney before, don't want to go during the summer, so by golly I am taking my kids on a family vacation!!!

 

[mm1971]

We usually go in the summer for vacation but next year we are thinking the first week of May. This would require us to take my JH student from school for a week. Shes a A/B student and have no worry about her catching up. My question is how do the schools usually take something like this? What are other parents thoughts on the subject?

How the school feels would depend on the specific policies in place. Some schools are OK and help in any way they can, others can be as extreme as not allowing you to make up the missed work. We took our kids out every year until 6th grade (our junior high starts at grade 7). After that, we made the decision to make school the top priority. I will say that with one now in HS and one in grade 7, it would not have hurt them to miss time as they could easily have caught up when we returned. Both do well in school so that is a factor in my opinion as well. I would say that if the school is OK with it and you feel the missed time would not hurt development, go for it. If not, maybe stick with the summer.

 

[keepswimming76]

We took our son out for a week both in kindergarten and first grade and both teachers just asked him to put together a little journal about the trip. That being said, he hasn't had teachers yet that assign a ton of homework. Personally, I will probably not pull him out for that long in the future as I fear he will have a hard time catching up as school work gets harder. (he is special needs) But I wouldn't feel bad taking him out for 2 to 3 days.

For our trip in May our kids (6 and 9) will miss the last two days of school. But they are half days and the teacher told me they won't be doing anything except cleaning the room and playing games.

My brother and his family travel quite frequently and take their older kids (jr high and high school) out at least once a year for a week. My brother has the attitude that the school district works for him as a taxpayer and he says he refuses to let them tell him what to do. That's his opinion on it.

 

[Shellyb84]

I took DD out for two days in March. They were also out 2 days that week for teacher workdays. She's in 1st grade and doing well so her teacher had no problem with it. I think I would do it again, but likely not past elementary school level. We like summer trips, but in order to take an extra trip in spring or fall that's pretty much what we have to do. We have to work around the visitation schedule with her dad, and my month end schedule at work so it's hard for us to go during major breaks.

 

[gorkt]

I can't get over these Kindy and 1st grade teachers asking parents to cancel vacations. Sure, I could understand it if it were a Jr. High or High school kid who was struggling but seriously, kindergarten? Also, I'm floored by all that makeup work. When my kids were in early elementary school, they were asked to make a journal of their vacation including pictures, drawings and a few paragraphs. That was actually fun to do!

 

[MammaMurphey]

We were taken out of school during the last week before Christmas at least three times to spend Christmas in Orlando with my grandparents. Of course things have changed a lot since I was a kid. I like to think it wasn't that long ago, but in reality....

I think as long as you get it squared away with the school and have catch-up work to make up for the time missed, it should be ok. Like others have said, it depends on school and district policies. But one week shouldn't be a really big deal. I hope you get it sorted out and can have a great trip!