Has anyone Pulled a Child out of School to Go to WDW?

[Grendalynn]

We have pulled our kids out once a year for the past 2 years. Granted DS7 is the only one that actuallky missed any school, but the teachers were OK with it. He does not styruggle and is one of the top kids in his class. Coming from a family of Teachers and working within the schools and district my self, I am very big on giving the teachers plenty of notice and taking homwork with us. Also doing a little journal of our vaction/journey for DS to present to the class when we return. And to make sure we wouldnt be missing anything like testing or a special event or whatever...

They are only young once. I think it is important to make the most of family time and enjoy them when they are small... And son enough, later down the road, the kids may be into sports and otherthings that can hamper your travel opportunitys! And depending on your area and job, some of us are only able to travel when everyone else is NOT on vacation. I grew up in a family business that was based on travelers and tourism as we live in a very tourist-y town and we would be crazy to vacation at our busiest time; We had no other chance to do so but the "off" season... Also it was usually less crowded and chaper to go in the Off season... Just our 2 cents! Thanks for reading

 

[daisyduck123]

My DD11 (7th grade) & DS8 (2nd grade) missed a week in January for our Disney trip.

Then we went again in May...they each missed 7 school days for that one.

I did not care what the schools thought about it.

We had wonderful trips & memories that will last years longer than any memories of those 12 days of school that they missed.

 

[sully7]

We are going in Sept as well. You just can't beat the free dining! We have 4 kids (3,5,7and 9.) The oldest three will be pulled out of school for just over a week. Since we couldn't afford to do this except for the value season...we really have no choice.

Personally, I feel that getting out and expanding your horizons and your mind is worth one week at school. The kids will be learning more and experiencing more without even realizing it! I will not be bringing any homework, even if it is assigned! This is to be a vacation! All their learning will be done without them even realizing! We will learn about telling time as we wait in lines. We'll learn about different countries in WS. My DS9, an aspiring filmmaker, will learn all sorts of things at the Studios. And we will have fun doing it!

I say "We are the parents!" The school is there to help us educate our kids. A few days of time spent with the family is actually a very good thing!

Have fun and relax about it. You know your kids the best. Don't be bullied by a system that has to fit thousands of kids! Kids are only kids once, it should be fun at least once in a while!!!!!

OK, I'm off my soap box now.

 

[froggi]

We took dd out for 5 days and it was excused.

 

[bopper]

FYI This question has been asked many times; do a search and see some other threads on this topic for more insight.

 

[AKLgirl]

My mother did,but it was only the last week of school, and i was only in elementry school. it sometimes depends on the grade level

hope this helps

 

[lindakmonty]

ds is going in kindergarten and can't wait to see how his school will be on vacations...

I took my cousin with me on a cruise in 03' her sophmore year in hs. It was a week before school got out and all her teachers let her take her exams early and she didn't have to worry about a thing. It was great and they were all telling her to have a good time and they wished they had a cousin like that to take them on a disney cruise we had a blast!!!

 

[penguin087]

I know the whole debate has been beaten to death but I for one am sick of the school worrying about family vacations. I have taken my son our for vacation (unexcused) not sure if I will again because he is in middle school now and the work is a little tougher if you miss a lot of instruction time.

The thing that peeves me most is they never want to look at the individual child. My son has missed 3 days of school this year TOTAL. 2 for family court things and 1 snowy day when they told us before school even started that they were sending them home at 11 AM. We take school seriously and do not let him stay home on a whim. I know 90% of the students in school have missed more than 5 days. My sons friend has missed 15 days (no vacation, no extended illness) but when it comes to taking a family vacation we are treated the same. Unexcused. Why? The school knows my son misses very little time. They know he is able to make up his work and will make up his work. The blanket policies are getting out of hand. I would prefer to see them question the amount of days a student misses instead of the reason. The reason any child misses school should be a family choice.

 

[disneydebbi]

Several years ago I took my children out of school for a trip to WDW. At the time I had a DS in 5th grade, a DS in 6th grade, and a DD who turned 5 on our trip
We drove from southern Indiana. My boys did their homework (all of it) on the way down. It was not a problem with the school. I think for what you spend in WDW, it makes good sense to go in the off season without the crowds.
This Sept, I am taking just my daughter back for another birthday trip. I won't take the boys out of high school. Missing a week of ADV chem, calc, etc is a whole lot different than a few days in 5th grade!

 

[ktink]

We are going in September for the 3rd year in a roll and the schools have been very understanding. DH is a Walking Horse Trainer and the "superbowl" for them is held for 2 weeks ending the Sat night before Labor Day. Our school system closes during this competition as many families rent their houses out and leave town. Well summer is a very busy time for DH so there is no way for us to have a "family" vacation until after Labor Day. The school system has always excused the girls and have given them their homework before being dismissed so since the school is closed anyway they have a week to get all of their work done before we even leave for vacation. As dd 10 gets older it will be more difficult once she hits middle and high school so this won't be a continued practice.

 

[WIcruizer]

I'm torn o nthis subject. Back when our kids were both elementary age, we pulled them out every year for WDW. We explained to the teachers exactly what we were doing, and not only were they excused they gave out homework in advance so it could be completed the week before we left.

With that said, some of the responses I see here are a bit disturbing to me. If I can paraphrase... "It's none of the school's business, WE know what's best for our kids."

Well, it IS the school's business. If you don't like the policy, find another school or home school. But your school district sets many, many policies. BEcause THIS particular policy doesn't fit your plans, suddenly the school district is out of line?

It doesn't matter if your child never misses school otherwise. Doesn't matter if little Joey is getting straight A's. How can you expect a school district with thousands of kids to differentiate between which kids can be excused for vacation and which can't? It leads to anarchy. What if going to class at 8:00 doesn't fit my schedule? Stupid school! I'm taking Suzie to class at 9:00, and if they don't like it....tough!!! I can go on and on with the problems that can arise.

Bottom line, you don't have to like the policy but you should respect it. If you still feel the need to take unexcused absenses, that's your decision. But if there ARE consequences, you have nobody to blame but yourself. And if you really want change, get involved with PTA, school board, etc. Much more effective than picking and choosing which policies are for you, and which are for everyone else.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I'm torn o nthis subject. Back when our kids were both elementary age, we pulled them out every year for WDW. We explained to the teachers exactly what we were doing, and not only were they excused they gave out homework in advance so it could be completed the week before we left.

With that said, some of the responses I see here are a bit disturbing to me. If I can paraphrase... "It's none of the school's business, WE know what's best for our kids."

Well, it IS the school's business. If you don't like the policy, find another school or home school. But your school district sets many, many policies. BEcause THIS particular policy doesn't fit your plans, suddenly the school district is out of line?

It doesn't matter if your child never misses school otherwise. Doesn't matter if little Joey is getting straight A's. How can you expect a school district with thousands of kids to differentiate between which kids can be excused for vacation and which can't? It leads to anarchy. What if going to class at 8:00 doesn't fit my schedule? Stupid school! I'm taking Suzie to class at 9:00, and if they don't like it....tough!!! I can go on and on with the problems that can arise.

Bottom line, you don't have to like the policy but you should respect it. If you still feel the need to take unexcused absenses, that's your decision. But if there ARE consequences, you have nobody to blame but yourself. And if you really want change, get involved with PTA, school board, etc. Much more effective than picking and choosing which policies are for you, and which are for everyone else.

 

[MiknMinMouse]

Well I'll probably get flamed for this one but as it turns out we'll be pulling our 15 year old out twice next school year for vacation. We have a family reunion at WDW in October and we're going on a Disney Cruise in the spring. That's just how it worked out. We can't go during my son's spring break because of the timing. Now my daughter won't miss any school, because she's in year round. We have no year round high schools in our county. We have one modified but to go to that school my son would have to leave our house at 6 am every morning. I won't do that to him. So he will miss schoo. Yes he is a straight A honors student and yes I'm one of those parents who feels that I can make decisions for my child. I understand being reasonable but we aren't really left with a lot of options, unless we home school, which I don't want to do. Year round schools are the best option but they keep getting shot down by closed minded parents so we are left with only traditional calendar high schools. And my son being pulled out. I also don't feel bad because half the time when he comes home from school I ask, did you learn anything new today and the answer is always NO except when he was in math & science. His computer classes have turned out to be a collasal waste of time because they don't teach what they promise, they end up turning the class into a glorified keyboarding class. Anyway, when my son's school starts enforcing their dress code policy and their class promises then I think I'll be more inclined to worry about taking him out of school. Just IMHO.

 

[english rose 47]

We will be pulling 3 out of school, can't get vacation at Easter from work and summer is too hot for us northerners. So we'll find out what they have to say. I don't think it'll be a probl4em others do it all the time and I've not heard any problems.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Why do you call parents who prefer traditional school calenders closed minded?

My son and I lived in Wake County for 9 years. Whenever I had the chance to pick between year round or traditional school, I went with a traditional.
That doesn't mean I was closed minded. It just meant one option was better for my family than the other

 

[bellenbuzz]

I have taken my 2 daughters ( Elementary School ) out for a whole week !!
I just tell the truth with lots of excitement and the staff & students are happy for us, we get lots of great comments, "You are so Lucky", "Wish I Could Go", " Have a Great Time..." etc...
I do not have any hesitation to have them miss 5 days of school for some wonderful quality family time at WDW!!
Do Not Stress About It !!

 

[DVC-Don]

We took the kids out all the time when they were in elementary school. We stopped when they got to middle school as it got harder to deal with 5 or 6 teachers and catch up was much harder. Our district has a policy of not giving out homework in advance for vacations.

 

[luvmikids]

I too am taking my DK's out of school in November for 5 days before Thanksgiving, I am not sure how the school will react. I plan on being honest and will give ample time for notification etc. and hope my children get their work done before the trip. My sister on the other hand is a teacher and disagrees with me. I tried to get her to meet me down there on a Friday but she refuses to take her daughter out of Kindergarten!!

 

[bushdianee]

As a First Grade Teacher I've had several students miss due to vacations. The key is to notify the teacher in advance. I have had at least 2 parents actually ask for work the morning of or the night before leaving! If I know in advance they are going to Disney I will print off a great Disney journal from another website and tell them to fill it out. After they read it to the class it is theirs to keep for the memories. For one student who was going for the 1st time I even made them a list of must sees and must dos for each park! I wish that I could go in value times also, but I must be content with summer of spring break times!

 

[penguin087]

I'm torn o nthis subject. Back when our kids were both elementary age, we pulled them out every year for WDW. We explained to the teachers exactly what we were doing, and not only were they excused they gave out homework in advance so it could be completed the week before we left.

With that said, some of the responses I see here are a bit disturbing to me. If I can paraphrase... "It's none of the school's business, WE know what's best for our kids."

Well, it IS the school's business. If you don't like the policy, find another school or home school. But your school district sets many, many policies. BEcause THIS particular policy doesn't fit your plans, suddenly the school district is out of line?

It doesn't matter if your child never misses school otherwise. Doesn't matter if little Joey is getting straight A's. How can you expect a school district with thousands of kids to differentiate between which kids can be excused for vacation and which can't? It leads to anarchy. What if going to class at 8:00 doesn't fit my schedule? Stupid school! I'm taking Suzie to class at 9:00, and if they don't like it....tough!!! I can go on and on with the problems that can arise.

Bottom line, you don't have to like the policy but you should respect it. If you still feel the need to take unexcused absenses, that's your decision. But if there ARE consequences, you have nobody to blame but yourself. And if you really want change, get involved with PTA, school board, etc. Much more effective than picking and choosing which policies are for you, and which are for everyone else.

I have no problem respecting or following school policies and I do deal with the consequences as does my child.
I think it does matter how much school a child misses, or if they are an honor roll student. I do think the schools should excuse or not excuse non illness related absences based on these and other factors. Lets face it. If all students were on the honor roll and missed 2 days of school a year we wouldn't have these "unexcused vacation" policies. They are in the education business. Why is it too much to ask for them to make a educated decision?