Proof of DVC magic!

[cavecricket]

Hey all....

Ever find that there is a reason for EVERYTHING that happens?!

We were booked for 14 nights in Oct this year at VWL studio.... ( home is SSR )

Then.....my younger brother was put into this program at school for "truancy" from the 2 week vaca last Oct....( ridiculous ) This is some program called "no child left behind" ..... He and my mother must meet with a truancy judge every week! If you knew my brother you would agree that he is not a truancy problem but according to the school and the law no parent is permitted to remove a child from school for ANYTHING unless supported by a doctors note. ( this has NEVER been a problem in the past )

Funny thing is....last Oct my mother sent in a letter to the school stating her intentions of the family vacation, the dates, and that we were celebrating my grandparents 50th anniversary...the school sent him with homework for the entire trip....so why 6 months after the fact was this an issue.....who knows

Imagine my grief when we were informed the vacation had to be canceled or moved....

I bought into DVC becasue our yearly 2 week long trips have been a sure fire thing for about 24 years now!!!!!

As I dont fly, we all drive together in an RV from Rhode Island so we all have to agree on the dates. The family stays at FW campgrounds and Me and Joe at the DVC. I figured the campgrounds wouldnt pose a problem with availability, the VWL however.....

We decided to move the vaca to the dreaded summer so Anthony wouldnt miss a single day of school.

Seeing as how there was only 100 days until the "new check-in" I was VERY doubtfull that I would be able to get 14 days at the same resort nevermind the VWL!!!

But Alas!
A stroke of Disney Magic!
I was able to book VWL for the ENTIRE 14 nights!!!!!

The only catch...the first 5 nights were not available in studio...so we had to upgrade to a 1 bedroom....!!!! no complaints here!


Zip-a-dee-doo-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Spread the magic!!!!

-Jenn

 

[patsal]

No Child Left Behind Act has so many of those insane clauses in it--to get it to pass they stressed standards, but forgot to tell people what might happen if all parts were not complied with. A funny thing about No Child Left Behind--it leaves many behind for just this reason--the drop out rate is skyrocketing--but we have to try to keep them in school and get penalized for every drop out in No Child Left Behind. I'm sorry that your family is dealing with this, though I believe kids belong in school during the school year, I also believe it is the parent and later on the parent and student's right to make a choice. I guess the consequence of this choice was very heavy--but by the sounds of it you were not informed of the NCLBA and how it would affect things. I'm glad your vacation plans, though changed, worked out well.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Glad it all worked out! Have a GREAT trip!

 

[cavecricket]

Thanks guys!

I was thinking about all the other children we see in Disney when there in Oct....these kids got permission somehow! lol

I would be curious to see if the # of child guests to WDW has dropped since this went into effect in 2001 during the school year?

Hmmmm

 

[chris1gill]

Are you sure that NCLB is the only problem here? Does your state of Rhode Island have some clause out there mandating attendance unless you have a doctors note? Up until two years ago our kids were in public school in Mass. and they definitely missed at least ten days & we didn't have trouble... I wonder if this is a Rhode Island thing as well?

Having said that NCLB is one of the major reasons we pulled our kids out of public & put them in private... NCLB does not address the needs of the more gifted kids & my poor kids were sitting in classrooms daydreaming seven hours a day... the teacher & principal's would do NOTHING for them, except say that with all the emphasis on NCLB & the bottom line, they didn't have enough resources for kids like ours Yeh, I say thanks a lot...

NCLB is a huge pet peeve of mine... I thought they were supposed to provide a good education to ALL children... I guess not

Oh, between Hawaii, Australia & Orlando our kids missed around 16 days this year... I'd be in jail if they were in public school I guess LOL....

Almost forgot! I think it's nothing short of miraculous you got all 14 nights at VWL!!!

 

[pickles]

As my dh says a kid in a classroom can only learn as much as the dumbest kid there, as the class can only proceed as quick as that kid.
We chose homeschooling. You can see our kids at Disney anytime

I don't think the NCLB thing is what is going on here. As a homeschooler I would check what your truancy laws are for RI. I suspect, there is more that these folks aren't telling you.
be sure to visit websites like www.hsdla.org (maybe .com) also websites like
www.massoutrage.com if your brother is in the sights of DFS your parents will need to know how to protect him and them!

 

[cavecricket]

You guys are great!

Mom was considering HomeSchooling but the Judge for the truancy court told her it was too late in the year......joke! We know our rights....mom is concerned he will be punished for her actions w/the school and a big battle...( history repeats itself at his school! )


thats another reason we moved the dates....we didnt want her decision to HomeSchool to be jaded because of the trip

And he is actually doing quite well in school....the absenses are the issue here! he had a total of 21 days out....11 were for the trip ....the other 10 were from the flu that the scholl nurse excused him for.

I think we took the best course of action....I am just soooo happy I got VWL !!!!!

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

I know in my town that it states that if you are in high school you cannot miss more than 10 days of school. (Massachusetts) What grade is your brother in?

I'm pulling my 3rd grader out for 2 trips next year- 5 days each trip. She has been out 9 days this year already. I tried to plan based on last year schedule and they moved the day off from school to the week before - go figure--

 

[Luigi's Girl]

At our High School the students are only allowed 16 absences for the year.

 

[tmt martins]

NCLB has many directives for different areas of federal money some are truancy based ,some are pass rate ,and some are improvement based. The bottom line is that in order to get the funds numbers have to be met.Most schools decide that attendence is the easiest to control and put a big part of their budget on that.
\
This is one of the worse things that could have happened for our kids (mine does not go to public schools).They just pass them through to make it look as if they are passing when they really aren't.But the money talks and it's loud

 

[kimberh]

My son was in advance Math and now a 3.85 GPA 2nd semester senior at The Citadel the Military College of South Carolina. Ten days are the limit grades 1-12 and if he had missed them in a row in grade school or high school, he would have never been able to catch up. We put him in private school in the 4th grade because the education level was poor in public and he is smart but still to miss that many days in a row... I commend your family in their flexibility and congratulations on all your time at the VWL, it is my favorite.