Pulling a Kid out of School for a Trp

[CapeCodTenor]

Hey everyone,

I know that pulling your kid out of school for a family vacation is generally frowned upon in public school, but what if your kid is in Kindergarten, or will be? My trip for next year was postponed due to me taking an online course (for possible career change), which pushed out trip to the next year, 2019. Our DD will be in Kindergarten that year, and I'm thinking of taking her out to go to WDW. I know it's Kindergarten and not 1st, 2nd, 3rd or higher, but had to ask.

Thanks,
TTFN

 

[Poohforyou]

We pulled our daughter out of school in 2nd, 3rd and 5th. I think each time she missed 3-4 days. I might have been closer to a full week in 5th as we went to China.

Personally I don't think it's a big deal until middle school.

Just be upfront with her teacher and the admin. Also don't try to sell any trip as an educational school equivalency.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I have pulled mine for 3-7 days every year from kindergarten to 5th. It's never been an issue. That said, my kids are RARELY out and are great students that have no trouble making up work. Also, I never expect the teachers to give themselves extra work by putting together packets or anything. They just give the kids the work to make up when we get back and I have them do it within a week.

 

[Turn the Page]

It really depends on the school district and their policies. Our district is great. Just inform them in advance and they excuse the absences. For some reason the make up work policies are different between the middle schools and elementary schools.

In elementary the kids pick up the work when they get back and have the same number of days to make up the work as they missed. In middle school they take a form around before they leave and the teachers each fill out what their make up work is. The work is due the day they get back.

I really don't have a problem taking kids out of school. Provided, of course, that they are not having any problems in school. If they are struggling academically then that may be a different story.

Kindergarten is really not likely to be a big deal for your child to miss but it really does depend on the policies in each school district.

 

[kdonnel]

My kids didn’t mind being pulled out of school until high school.

We received a nasty letter from the schools almost every year between kindergarten and 8th grade threatening us.

The kids never suffered academically.

Life experiences are worth as much as a day at school.

 

[kenthanson]

Not a big deal at all, let them know before hand. Honestly if your kid is going to be crippled accedemically from missing a week of school then best take them somewhere like WDW to show them what's up with their future in the service industry.

 

[kirstenb1]

We pulled our dd out til third grade. After that there was just a ton of makeup work, and instruction that she'd missed.

 

[sam_gordon]

I don't think the child will suffer harm by missing a week of kindergarten, but I still wouldn't do it. If you decide to, definitely make sure you let the school know ahead of time.

 

[JaxDad]

I don't think pulling a student out of kindergarten for a few days is a big deal, BUT it could go on their permanent record...

 

[shoney]

Very common where we live. Especially fifth grade or under.
We would try to plan it around additional days off to minimize days out. Also time of year. Taking off the remainder of Memorial Day week was always good
Teachers do not have to give work before hand but many will.
You don’t have to tell the school just the teacher the week before.

 

[Shanti]

Hey everyone,

I know that pulling your kid out of school for a family vacation is generally frowned upon in public school, but what if your kid is in Kindergarten, or will be? My trip for next year was postponed due to me taking an online course (for possible career change), which pushed out trip to the next year, 2019. Our DD will be in Kindergarten that year, and I'm thinking of taking her out to go to WDW. I know it's Kindergarten and not 1st, 2nd, 3rd or higher, but had to ask.

Thanks,
TTFN

I'm an elementary school teacher & have noticed that more parents pull kids out for vacations than in the past, but doing so is by no means universal. It really depends on the values of each family. If you plan to pull, you should consider:

• The ages/grade levels of your children (the younger they are, the easier it is to pull them). I don't recommend pulling high school students, & it can be quite hard on middle schoolers, as well, depending on the academic demands of their particular school.
• State/district/school attendance rules (these vary widely)
• State testing dates (it is best to avoid pulling kids during the last few weeks before major state tests)
• Your child's academic & behavior level (the higher your child performs and the better adjusted he/she is behaviorally, the easier it is for him or her to catch up & readjust to school after being pulled for a trip).
• Your child's attendance aside from trips.
• Your child's extracurricular activities.

The main ways you can help the teacher is to tell them the dates of the trip in advance, and not to demand advance make up work be provided. Asking is fine, but accept the fact that they may or may not want to provide work in advance. Remember, you're not the only parent who will be asking, and creating a special packet of advance work takes time.

 

[StephMK]

I'm a teacher and would only say to try and avoid the first few weeks of school if possible. They are trying to teach routines, procedures, etc and it's better if they can be there for that. Otherwise, just let the teacher know and go enjoy!

 

[anniemae]

It is very common at our school. It is just considered unexcused absence. People usually do it up until high school age when it's a little harder to catch up. We would just send the teacher an e-mail and let her know ahead of time the dates. At Kindergarten I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I wouldn’t worry too much in the elementary grades, and even up through middle school, although it depends on the child and the type of student they are. IME, most teachers are understanding and cooperative despite the school district’s official policy. YMMV.

For kindergarten, I would definitely go. What a lot of people don’t realize is that in many states, mine included (NY), kindergarten is not even legally mandatory.

 

[anniemae]

I wouldn’t worry too much in the elementary grades, and even up through middle school, although it depends on the child and the type of student they are. IME, most teachers are understanding and cooperative despite the school district’s official policy. YMMV.

For kindergarten, I would definitely go. What a lot of people don’t realize is that in many states, mine included (NY), kindergarten is not even legally mandatory.

I was just going to point that out. My cousin lives in a state that it isn't mandatory, her kids started school in first grade.

 

[dotfurio]

I'm a teacher and I pull my own kids from school for vacations, especially DL. I actually have a lot of co-workers who are AP holders and take off for DL with their kids on school days all the time. Elementary, middle, even high school (although high school is harder and we try to limit it to a couple days at a time). There is nothing they are missing in a few days, especially in K, that's going to put them far behind, and IMHO family time is worth far more.

 

[Nettester]

We're pulling our high schooler out for one day (first school day after spring break) so the bulk of our trip will be during her break week. We're looking at $1000.00 difference in airfare for our family, and the fact that she is a high honors student who has confidence that the first day back after break is not going to be a critical miss. It won't be excused, but she's only missed one day this year, so we're not sweating it.

 

[disneychrista]

I pulled my kids through 4th/6th grade. Both my kids were above average in academics and were fine to miss a few days. If they were below average or struggling I would have thought twice before pulling.

My youngest missed a lot of school due to health issues in middle school / early high school. At that point I could tell it had an impact.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

Our children were out of school an average of 5 weeks a year for travel up to about grade 10. China, Europe, Africa, North America and never suffered for it. The teachers were mostly more than fine with it. Of course there will always be one or two that have a problem with it. Too bad for them. One child is now a licensed architect with a great firm, one's in pre-med and another starting university in the Fall and will graduate with honours.

School can suck the life out of you if you let it. A person will now spend at least a third of their life sitting behind a desk. Follow your own path in life and don't let other's dictate the rules for you and yours.

 

[tvguy]

Kindergarten I don't see an issue personally. It could be illegal here though, considered truancy. State laws vary. Here, Kindergarten isn't required, but if the child is 6, they are required to be in school.
Some parents here opted for private school to get around it, but the private schools that allowed it were threatened with losing their accreditation so pretty much that isn't an option here with private schools either.