Pulling kids out of school for trip

[MSSANDRA]

High School is so very different than middle school. We pulled oldest K-8, with no issues. No way would he have agreed to go in HS. Strict class attendance policy and tons of work, dealing with Honors and AP classes, plus all the other activities that come with HS. Talk first to your child to see what they think, then the school and be sure you both know the consequences and are willing to accept them.

 

[pigletto]

I agree that high school is different than middle school. It also depends on the child. My dd I could pull out easily until 9th grade. However she struggles with Math and now that she's in high school (going in to 12th grade) we absolutely will not go in a semester she has math or chemistry or a science. So it depends on the work load for the semester.
Ds is going into 5th grade and has never had a problem missing school or making up the work. I choose the week carefully based upon what may be happening (mandated testing, exam prep etc) but we will pull them out for 5 or 6 days and have never once had a teacher bat an eye about it. I guess it's very different here.

 

[ParkHopperFan]

We always pull the kids from school for two reasons... 1.) better rates 2.) lighter crowds.

I stopped feeling guilty after going to WDW during Easter break. The bulk of our vacation was spent standing one line or another. NOT FUN!! And everything was twice the cost.

We usually send a note to the teacher ahead of time asking if there is anything we can do to keep the kids up to speed so the absence isn't as noticeable.

 

[emily94]

Our schools usually will not give work ahead of time. I pulled in elementary, but high school is a different story - they don't have to excuse the absence, so your child could end up with a failing grade. How to make up that biology lab? I did pull my kids out for 2 days, and they managed to make up the work. They weren't too happy about it, though!

Middle school can also be hard, but at least the child's GPA doesn't count yet.

Agreed, GPA is SO important, even freshman year! I guess my school just had pretty clear excused vs. unexcused absences, obviously you could only have so many before getting a letter home.

All work had to be made up and you had as many days to complete it as you were absent (i.e. gone for 3 days, missed work must be turned in within 3 days of the student's return) and planned absences like vacations, the school had to be notified in advance.

Obviously it is best to review your child's schools absence policy and plan accordingly. I think my only suggestion would be for your daughter to tell her teachers herself, either in person or via email. I think this would teach her a lot of responsibility and problem solving skills (take this with a grain of salt, I am not a parent haha)

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

I think it depends on the kid and the school they go to.

I was never pulled out of school for vacations, and now it looks like I will be pulled out for a few days of my senior year for our 2015 trip. My school does not allow more than 5 unexcused absences per semester and I honestly don't think I could handle being pulled out for more than 2 or 3 days, which is why the trip will be very short. If we were going my upcoming year (junior year) I don't think I would be able to go at all.

 

[kangamangus]

Thanks again for everyone's stories/experiences ect....we are in a tough spot because of hubby's work, I struggle with never taking a family vacation while my kids are in high school. It would mean literally never since hubby has his own business and it's not like we can shut down for a week (it's a bread route). So which is more important at the end of the day/road/life.....missing a week of high school (which I think is very important..we spend more on education then our mortgage in this household!) or having our kids make life long memories with their dad for a vacation? I'll probably contact the school this winter since Molly will still be in 8th grade and can not go to teachers she doesn't even know exist yet and ask to speak with the attendance office. I'm sure they will be able to guide me in the right direction. We know of several families who pull kids out during high school so I don't think that they fail kids/keep them back a grade for a week's vacation. Our daughter is a straight A honors student so she actually said she would be delighted to write a countries report/figure out math equations for distances between parks/and use her foreign language skills with cast members who speak other languages. Thanks again though for everyone's input!

 

[monorailsilver]

I am a strong believer in not taking my kids out of school for vacation but the past 2 years I have taken them. The first year it was a 1/2 day prior to April vacation and then a few days during April vacation because if the snow/hurricanes we had here in CT. This past April it was a 1/2 day and then the snow make up day-if we didn't have snow there would be no school....but since we did have snow there was school that day.

I figured, my kids are rarely absent for illness that 1-2 days is OK. Plus one was a 1/2 day.

Now next April, we leave on Good Friday and they will miss 2 days after April vacation since the flight was a lot cheaper (FYI, no hotel, we stay with my sister). Those 2 days are emergency make up days. So hopefully it's a nice winter...

I did ask my dd, she is going into 8th grade before I booked the return flight and she said lots of kids miss more then that for vacation.

 

[pigletto]

I think one thing that is different here than some places in the States (and correct me if I am wrong) is that for college and university, you are generally admitted on your top 6 U and M courses. Those would be University level or Mixed (both college and university). So while it's a GPA of sorts, you aren't applying with every mark you got in high school. So the last two years are the really important ones. They are all important mind you because you have to get to the U level courses and do well. But if you had a 70 in grade 10 English, nobody is looking as long as you pulled up your mark for Grade 12.

 

[Jaime4004]

We used to take them out every October, for the only reason that it is my favorite time of year. I miss it! We still take them out for a few days here and there but stopped doing it for a week at a time because DD10 struggles a little bit (struggling, being that she's a solid B student, but I think she needs the teacher's instruction to maintain that B ). Wouldn't worry at all about the other 2 kids missing. So we're taking them out for 2 days in Dec and 2 days in May. If DD has trouble catching up those times then I won't take her out anymore.
To me, it totally depends on the kid, not the school or truancy letters, etc...
I was taken out 1-2x/year for a week at a time K-12. My parents were big fans of driving down to orlando to visit grandparents. But school was easy for my brother and I.

 

[Jing]

We live in one of those areas where vacation absence is unexcused and you cannot make up any work. I believe after the third unexcused absence, something unpleasant happens. My gripe is that the gov't seems to forget that my children belong to me and as a parent I always know what is best. My children are good students and only miss a few days per year. So, come April we will take a few days off from school and go to Disney. My choices will be a)write a "sick" excuse for them or (b) get the nasty truant letter which I will promptly throw in the trash. Do what's right for your family.

THIS

I was pulled out of school for Disney and other trips a few times when I was a kid/teen. TMy parents usually did soon after a long break, like January or April, so I could have the time to complete the work and not get behind. I was also a good student, so that was likely a factor in the decision to go in the first place. I went to private school and in those days, the people writing the tuition check didn't get a lot of guff for a few days off. I intend to do the same with my son, though I have a feeling by the time he gets to high-school age, trips with mom and dad will be less tempting than spending time with the fellas.

 

[richmo]

This topic always stirs up a lot of controversy here and there probably is no set answer and district policies vary widely.

I have no problem with districts trying to discourage kids from taking vacations during the school year. After all there are long breaks during the school year and most have at least a couple months in the summer. Of course, it is those breaks where Disney tends to be at its busiest. I believe our district limits vacations to 5 days per school year, which seems quite generous.

I do understand the need for some to take those vacations during the school year due to scheduling conflicts, etc. However, I also don't think its fair to ask teachers to bend over backwards to catch them up. If a kid (and parents) is responsible enough to get assignments ahead of time (and teachers, for the most part, are good about giving them out) and can independently learn the material and make up any tests, etc. on return, that's great. Some kids don't do as well...while its fine for the student to ask questions upon return, the teacher should not be expected to reteach everything.

As a general comment, for those who do this every year...it is much easier to pull a kid for an extended time early in their school years. As each year goes on, it gets more and more difficult. Especially in high schools with block scheduling, missing one week of class is like missing two weeks. For some, its a gap they never recover from.

 

[kohlby]

Is there any way at all you could shorten that 5 days off to 2 to 3 but finding teacher inservice days to plan around it? My state does not allow it. In the high school, kids fail a class if they have more than 5 unexcused absences a semester, due to block scheduling. But they want dr notes to make illnesses excused! So, it's not worth it in that district to gamble with taking a full 5 days off. I'm pretty sure it's a state law dealing with truancy in my state for not allowing the vacations to count. Elem/Middle have more wiggle room - as they aren't semester long courses.

Kids will miss a LOT in a week in high school, even when it's not block scheduling. Or at least I would have. I was a good student and it would have caused a lot of additional stress to miss that much time. So, don't just look at your A student and not worry - A students can be the ones doing the extra worrying! Another thing to consider is that your child isn't in high school yet. There's no way to tell how the transition is going to go.

Knowing that there are too many variables, I'd do my best to miss as few days possible, even if it meant shortening the trip by a day or two if I couldn't work around a vacation. High school is not the same as elem school. And public high schools aren't the same as private schools either - many public schools don't have tons of wiggle room. It is a great sign that they do allow vacations that are pre-approved though. So, I'd use that and see what you can get - but also adjust dates or shorten the time so it's not 5 full days missed.

*Teachers do not need to provide work for any unexcused absences where I worked - that included both being sick but not having a drs note or going on vacation. I provided students with work in every single case though, as did every teacher I knew. Teachers are there because they WANT the child to learn so they often do more than they have to. Don't expect the work ahead of time though - the student should ask ahead but not be surprised if they need to wait until after. Lesson plans change and are adapted for the students. So even with a week planned, it could change quite a bit by the time that week actually was completed.

 

[kohlby]

As for using the educational value and applying that to the course, that's not how it works for public high schools. They have national (or state with a few states) standards that have to be followed. Writing about the countries of Epcot is not going to count for a U.S. History course. What Alg II will be done? What literary analysis will be done? Etc. Keeping a journal and writing about what they learn is an excellent way for and elem student to get credit for Disney, but not a high schooler where it's about specific credits. (Elem students have standards too, but they're easier to meet in several ways or easier to meet since there's more repetition in elem school). Again, private schools have wiggle room - as they don't have to follow the standards. But public schools must.

 

[kangamangus]

It is a private school, I also talked to some families at a birthday party last evening and they had no troubles with taking a vacation from the school. I think it will all work out.

 

[katyjeka]

It's the monthly debate about pulling kids from school. Funny, most schools no longer allow families to spend quality time together on a weeks vacation but the same school allows kids to miss a week for events such as POP WARNER. Oh, I forgot, sports are involved. I'm a little puzzled as teachers are able to work with the kids on what they miss on a POP week, but not with responsible parents who cannot travel over summer and holidays. I have friends who have actually started lying about the reason they are pulling their children from school just to keep the school of their backs. What a shame!!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

My son was in 9th grade last year and needed to stay home for one day because he was sick. It was an excused absence, but it took him the better part of a week to make up what he missed in three classes (he's on an A Day/B Day system). He had to go to the gym at lunch one day to do a make-up workout. They can make up one missed day at a time, so additional absences would have resulted in more lunch periods in the gym. He also had to schedule with his Honors Biology teacher to make up a lab he missed. Again, that took another lunch period. Finally, he had to stay after school one day to recite a Spanish dialogue. He had to schedule it with both the Spanish teacher and his dialogue partner. In addition, he missed an after school rehearsal for the school musical. They taught the choreography for a dance that day. He had to arrange to meet with someone who could help him catch up.

All that was for missing one day! There's no way we would voluntarily take him out for any length of time. It's just too much to make up.

 

[Trip planner]

I am a high school teacher and I would caution against missing simply because it is tough to make up missed content (excused or not)
Just last semester I had a girl miss for a week long family vacation. I gathered work for her ahead of time and had her come in during lunch, but she got too far behind and ended up failing.
(BTW -the school coded it unexcused- but I let her make up everything with NO penalties)
2 days are probably fine. One week is tough!

 

[katyjeka]

Really? She misses five days of school and fails a semester. Okay, a class is an hour long, so five hours of classroom instruction and I'm guessing homework at night which could still be completed. I guess I'm the only one who sees a problem with this.

 

[kangamangus]

Well no more debate from me, I spoke with the Dean's office, (already haha and it's over a year away) and I have to fill out a form and that's it. No penalty involved. I'm not worried about her making up the work, I know her well and she is definitely able to handle the course work she is an overachiever thru and thru and has projects done the week they are handed out. If I had any concern academically I wouldn't do it but that is my least concern. Actually now that I have spoken with the dean's office I have no concerns and can start actively planning!

 

[3princes+1princess]

It's the monthly debate about pulling kids from school. Funny, most schools no longer allow families to spend quality time together on a weeks vacation but the same school allows kids to miss a week for events such as POP WARNER. Oh, I forgot, sports are involved. I'm a little puzzled as teachers are able to work with the kids on what they miss on a POP week, but not with responsible parents who cannot travel over summer and holidays. I have friends who have actually started lying about the reason they are pulling their children from school just to keep the school of their backs. What a shame!!

I would assume this all has to do with money. I am sure they do not lose their daily funding for these students as those would be a school activity. However, if we pull them, they lose the funding for the child that day.

And I never thought of that before....I don't see how they can promote one and dismiss the other. But like you said, its sports.