Need advice on taking kids out of school for a WDW trip

[dsnylndmom]

When my son was in Kindergarten another child was out of school for a week(I think it was a week and a half) because they family flew to the midwest for a Family Reunion/Wedding. Upon their return they were visited by the truancy officer and had to attend a hearing to give the reasons for his absences. They could have had charges brought up against them!

The school my boys are in now have the 10 unexcused day rule. If they are absent for more than 10 unexcused days for the year, I will be brought up on truancy charges.

That said, I have taken them out for a 1-3 days before. But I couldn't do it for a week, I couldn't take that chance. It sucks too, because I would take them out for a week for a WDW if it weren't for that rule.

 

[bubbles rockenbocker]

I think there are many variables to be considered in this question. That being the child, the teacher's attitude and the school schedule.

We have taken our DDs (now 10 and 14) out of school for a family vacations at least 5 times and they are doing very well in school. We do however, try to minimize the absences by taking advantage of long weekend-type school recesses. We still take a week but can reduce the number of school days missed.(ie Thanksgiving weekend, winter break, etc.) As they have gotten older this has become more necessary due to homework loads.

We have had some teachers who personally disagree with our decision to do this, but with careful consideration (and communication) of the facts we have had no problems. Weigh all the options but never allow someone to tell you that family time is not as important as school time!!

 

[skiwee1]

Our elementary school posts a little blurb in the monthly newsletter about vacations. It simply says to alert the teacher about upcoming vacations so that the child can obtain an educational packet. I took DD out of kindergarten this year for 5 days to go to WDW. We are taking her out of 1st grade for 9 days to go to WDW in October. Life is short. Enjoy it while you can.

 

[mel64]

skiwee1, I agree. We took DS out of kindergarten last year for 5 days and taking him out 7 this year. The teachers just say "have a good time" He has 4 days off for MLK holiday, his teacher is sending makeup work home then. I can't imagine being brought up on charges for missing a week or two of school. When the gov. gets that involved we will go private or home-school.

 

[JoyMouse]

Okay, to play the "Devil's Advocate" I teach school and would love for my students to have the chance to spend time with parents and get a cool and educational trip, but...in Georgia if a child misses and certain number of days they cause the school to fail to meet "The No Child Left Behind" act. It is law, teachers and schools don't want to report it, but we have to in order to get federal funds. What can we do?

 

[JPN4265]

Hi there GorshGoofy,

I really feel for you. As a mother, I think your ex should be grateful that you want to take your DD somewhere like Disney....far too many dads are uninvolved. I am taking both of my kids out of school (Jan. 7th to the 15th) My DD is 9 and my DS is 6. I know your DD is 12, but basically there are still educational things to do in Disney while having fun. I don't like going in the summer either. It is too hot and too crowded. I figure, if I am going to spend all that money, it needs to be cool and low crowds. Here is a note you might want to work with with your Ex and the school :


Please be advised that .... will be out of school from ....to...... We kindly ask that her absences be excused.
The reason for ...... absence is that our family will be out of the state during this week. While we are gone, we will be visiting Walt Disney World. We believe that ..... will be learning many things during this trip and that her education will continue in her absence from school.

Some things .... will learn about:

* Different cultures of the world, including architecture, language, diet, and dress, by visiting the different countries in the Epcot World Showcase (Japan, China, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Canada, France, etc.) She will have the chance to explore the exhibits for each country and speak with natives from each country who work as cast members.
* American history by viewing the Hall of Presidents presentation in the Magic Kingdom and the American Adventure show in Epcot.
* Nature and conservation at Animal Kingdom.
* Science by exploring the Mission:Space ride in Epcot where she will have a chance to see and feel what it would be like to travel by rocket to Mars and by experiencing the Universe of Energy exhibit which teaches about fossil fuels, energy, and conservation.
* Economics by managing her own spending money and making budget decisions on how to spend her money.
..... will also be learning about map reading by navigating in and to the different theme parks, as well as the resorts and water parks via the Disney bus system, sociological aspects of crowds including patterns and behavior, physics of the different rides, breakthroughs in technology at the Innoventions computer lab in Epcot, art and animation and the history of film, and mathematics.
We believe this will be a wonderful and educational experience for ..... and hope you agree not to charge her with unexcused absences as a result. If it is possible for ..... to take any assignments with her to be turned in when we return or to turn in before we leave any work that will be due while she is gone, please let us know as soon as possible. We value her education very much and have no issue with taking time out daily to do school work. We thought it would be a good idea for .... to write reports on the different countries she visits within Epcot’s World Showcase. I am sure it would be something she would thoroughly enjoy sharing upon her return.

Thank you for your attention to this. If you have any questions or need any further information, please feel free to contact us.

GOOD LUCK

ROTFL!