School excuse wording

[Planogirl]

After reading all 22 pages of this, wow, I didn't realise how hot a topic this could be. Or how different it is down in the US.

I'm not going to say what people should or shouldn't do. I will speak from my own experience though as one of those children who were taken out of school for family vacations.

I went approximately 14-15 times (3 times in one year because we had annual passes) prior to entering University with 1-2 of those trips being in high school. All the rest were ages 13 and under. We did some trips over the pre-scheduled holidays (Christmas, March Break, etc.) and we did one in June for my grade 6 graduation. One trip in June was enough, due to weather more than anything else.

I wasn't an amazingly bright child. I was good at some things, not so much at others, like any kid. I remember some of the specific lessons I was taught in school, but it's mostly just clips here and there.

I do remember almost every trip I took with my parents. I remember fun times with my Dad before his heart attack, inside jokes he and I will share forever. I remember finding rides my Mom would ride that my Dad wouldn't even though to me he was not scared of anything. I have albums of pictures of me at Disney, hugging characters or other random acts (I apparetly loved dancing to the theme music in the World Showcase... ).

I have had so many wonderful memories there that WDW became my 'happy place' when things get hard, and they did.

Would I take my future kid(s) out of school for Disney? Yes, I probably would. I would probably try to do it in the way that least impacts everyone involved (aim for the school breaks, etc.) but I know how much those trips mean to me and how many wonderful family-filled memories I have there. I gained much more from them than I would have from a few more days in class.

I'm glad that you had so many amazing vacations and I believe that most here see nothing wrong with that. I think that the discussion really is more about respecting the rules of school districts and how to handle vacation notifications particularly when those rules differ as they do. Of course this thread has meandered all over the place so I'm not totally sure what it's about now.

 

[Wadecool]

Well said!!!



it is ILLEGAL.... for a reason and there is nothing honorable about anything illegal.


---- seriously, this thread needs to be removed. The OP question hasn't been answered at all and the debate has really moved in to areas where many of the posters here have not the knowledge to debate it. Unfortunately, free speech in America also means that the sharing of ignorance must be tolerated as well as rudeness.

Nah, just the posts which veer off topic into illegal immigration, like this one for example. If you don't like the thread, there's a neat little thing you can do called unsubscribe...

 

[Wadecool]

Remove or tolerate? Aren't those mutually exclusive options?

Conversations go where they will. If it's no longer fun, then don't participate. I really don't understand the impulse not only to flounce but also try to take the entire thread with you (by calling for it to be shut down).

Not to mention, this ain't "America". It's an internet bulletin board with an international following.

It's the "I'm taking my ball and going home" syndrome. Except, it was never that poster's "ball" to begin with.

 

[Wadecool]

The connection between illegal immigration and school excuse wording is... if the school is not going to question legal residence of illegal immigrants (I consider this a more serious offense than a family vacation), the school shouldn't question me about something so minor as missing a few days of school to spend time with family.

Ok, so if I just say that I find a connection between school excuse wording and students smoking in the bathroom (that is illegal, after all), then that justifies my continually trying to integrate that topic into this thread? I'll go ahead and answer it for you, no it does not. And trying to make a comparison between students smoking in the bathroom and school excuse wording is just as ridiculous as trying to insert illegal immigration into the mix.

If you feel so strongly about illegal immigration, maybe your time would be better spent writing letters about it to your elected officials or even your local newspaper instead of trying to compare apples to alternators.

 

[WDWFWfan]

I am 41 now and have spent over 21 years of my life in school earning 3 undergraduate degrees (okay, two were doubles ) and a 90 hour master's degree program. My grades have ranged from failing (in grade school) to honors (most recently). In all of those years, there is one thing that I have learned, while a formal education is important, it is not the most important thing in life.

We receive an education in order that we might be able to live. Some people become so wrapped up in the educational system that they forget about the living part. Education is simply a means to an ends, it should not devour one's ability to live life.

Simply put, I'm taking my daughters out of school for one week to go to WDW in Oct. Will they learn something on the trip? You bet, but then again, not everything has to be a learning exercise. There is something to be said for family time and pure unadulterated joy. In the end, it is my belief that the memories that we will create on this trip will have a much greater positive effect upon their future lives than anything the public school system can offer in the same amount of time.

 

[Pluto6]

How about, "Dear School Administrators,
We are taking our kids out of school for ____ days from ___ (Month) to ____ (Month) so that the family can enjoy lower crowds and less expensive lodging at Walt Disney World, in Florida. The educational lessons of this family vacation will include:
1) economics - the importance of maximizing savings on family vacations
2) geography - the location, weather, and municipal infrastructure of Orlando, Florida
3) math - how quickly costs can add up for food, lodging and souvenirs
4) sociology - the diverse nature of people who attend theme parks
5) psychology - methods used by Disney to induce higher spending in their theme parks
6) English - grammatically correct signs and warnings on thrill rides
7) history - many Disney rides are based on myths and legends, and several are based on bona fide historical American artifacts and personalities
8) physics - actually experiencing positive and negative G-forces on several thrill rides
9) science - discovering the effects of dehydration and lack of sleep
10) foreign languages - hearing several languages in use by actual foreigners
11) biology - seeing, smelling, and possibly depositing stomach contents on the sidewalk after thrill rides
12) engineering - viewing and actually riding highly engineered thrill rides
13) astrology - examining and describing stars seen on the "Hollywood Walk of Fame" in DHS
14) art - experiencing actual animation instruction and getting a back-lot view of motion picture production
15) phys ed - walking approximately seven miles per day.

I hope you agree that, based on this ___ week visit, my children should be awarded a bachelor's degree in General Studies from the nearest state college. If that is not possible, please provide instructions on how my children can complete any additional requirements of their regularly scheduled classes (as if their classes could possibly cover anything remotely as comprehensive as this vacation will expose them to!).

Very truly yours,
Mrs X"

That should get the ball rolling for you...

 

[Saylan]

I'm glad that you had so many amazing vacations and I believe that most here see nothing wrong with that. I think that the discussion really is more about respecting the rules of school districts and how to handle vacation notifications particularly when those rules differ as they do. Of course this thread has meandered all over the place so I'm not totally sure what it's about now.

I agree that was the intent (and sadly doesn't seem to be the main topic anymore), but many have been debating the merit or possible hindrance of of school-time trips. My reason for such a long winded (sorry!) post was to show that in the end, at least in my case, the trips made a bigger impact on me than a few missed days of school.

We aren't held to strict rules in attendance here, so we were definitely able to get away with more vacations. I do recall that I did math problems during down time and working on a project during a high school trip. The math books I did though were made by my aunt who thought it was a good idea.

It's off topic from the original post, but I would wager more on topic than some of the comments about immigration and legal entitlments to education.

 

[Planogirl]

I agree that was the intent (and sadly doesn't seem to be the main topic anymore), but many have been debating the merit or possible hindrance of of school-time trips. My reason for such a long winded (sorry!) post was to show that in the end, at least in my case, the trips made a bigger impact on me than a few missed days of school.

We aren't held to strict rules in attendance here, so we were definitely able to get away with more vacations. I do recall that I did math problems during down time and working on a project during a high school trip. The math books I did though were made by my aunt who thought it was a good idea.

It's off topic from the original post, but I would wager more on topic than some of the comments about immigration and legal entitlments to education.

Actually, I think that you are very much on topic. Those other points, not so much...

The rules are the issue to me. When we purchased our house, I did my research on the different communities in the area. I did see that the Frisco school district was strict when it came to vacations during school days. Their policy was that the days off are unexcused and no make up work will be offered. I knew the rules going in and it would have been ludicrous of me to pick this school district if excused vacation time was important.

Of course, every district has their own rules and each letter has to be worded to fit. In our case, we would either lie or just deal with the consequences. Every situation is different.

And it's not a liberal plot here. You probably couldn't find a more conservative area.

 

[Saylan]

Actually, I think that you are very much on topic. Those other points, not so much...

The rules are the issue to me. When we purchased our house, I did my research on the different communities in the area. I did see that the Frisco school district was strict when it came to vacations during school days. Their policy was that the days off are unexcused and no make up work will be offered. I knew the rules going in and it would have been ludicrous of me to pick this school district if excused vacation time was important.

Of course, every district has their own rules and each letter has to be worded to fit. In our case, we would either lie or just deal with the consequences. Every situation is different.

And it's not a liberal plot here. You probably couldn't find a more conservative area.

ITA. I work in a school and so many times we hear stories about not knowing this was the way it was, that is the rule, etc. We have adopted a policy now that flat out says ignorance is no excuse and unintentional violations of rules will earn the same evaluation/punishment as intentional.

It sucks that any place has to take such a stance but it gets to a point where, how do you judge who unintentionally did something versus saying they unintentionally did it.

In the end, the responsibility needs to rest on the people who agreed to the rules to understand what is allowable. Definitely a clear reason why doing your homework before agreeing is better.

 

[hebbynan]

I just submitted request letters for both boys for our upcoming Nov/Dec trip. Our school district has a form that needs filled out and on it is a place to list what we feel will be the 'education' they recieve on the trip. I just list what we'll be doing - i.e. Epcot - visiting the various countries and the native cast members in each, visiting Innoventions to see the technology updates since our previous trip (and DS11 LOVES this place), as well as each boy will be budgeting his own money on the trip, etc. I don't fill it with too much 'fluff' becuase I know they get other trip requests for WDW as well. All that being said...both boys' trips came back approved.

It's not really that big of a deal. It's Disney and you're not the only parent to ever take their kid out of school. Don't fret it. Just put in what you're doing and be honest.

My thoughts - this topic always gets people in a dander with 2 very different sides: those PRO school year trips and those ANTI school year trips. I haven't been on any thread yet about this topic that didn't get nasty. So, OP I hope you've gotten a good enough answer to your initial question.

 

[ccgirl]

Actually, I think that you are very much on topic. Those other points, not so much...

The rules are the issue to me. When we purchased our house, I did my research on the different communities in the area. I did see that the Frisco school district was strict when it came to vacations during school days. Their policy was that the days off are unexcused and no make up work will be offered. I knew the rules going in and it would have been ludicrous of me to pick this school district if excused vacation time was important.

Of course, every district has their own rules and each letter has to be worded to fit. In our case, we would either lie or just deal with the consequences. Every situation is different.

And it's not a liberal plot here. You probably couldn't find a more conservative area.

You pretty much summed up my point well. Thanks.

ITA. I work in a school and so many times we hear stories about not knowing this was the way it was, that is the rule, etc. We have adopted a policy now that flat out says ignorance is no excuse and unintentional violations of rules will earn the same evaluation/punishment as intentional.

It sucks that any place has to take such a stance but it gets to a point where, how do you judge who unintentionally did something versus saying they unintentionally did it.

In the end, the responsibility needs to rest on the people who agreed to the rules to understand what is allowable. Definitely a clear reason why doing your homework before agreeing is better.

Exactly. And, I think most schools post the handbook online. I know for my DD we have to send it in signed. If we don't the student cannot attend school. It's a private school so different rules.

I just submitted request letters for both boys for our upcoming Nov/Dec trip. Our school district has a form that needs filled out and on it is a place to list what we feel will be the 'education' they recieve on the trip. I just list what we'll be doing - i.e. Epcot - visiting the various countries and the native cast members in each, visiting Innoventions to see the technology updates since our previous trip (and DS11 LOVES this place), as well as each boy will be budgeting his own money on the trip, etc. I don't fill it with too much 'fluff' becuase I know they get other trip requests for WDW as well. All that being said...both boys' trips came back approved.

It's not really that big of a deal. It's Disney and you're not the only parent to ever take their kid out of school. Don't fret it. Just put in what you're doing and be honest.

My thoughts - this topic always gets people in a dander with 2 very different sides: those PRO school year trips and those ANTI school year trips. I haven't been on any thread yet about this topic that didn't get nasty. So, OP I hope you've gotten a good enough answer to your initial question.

Another great point. Although, I'm neither PRO or ANTI. I am do what you think is right for your child and be prepared to face the consequences if it is not within the guidelines. If you don't like the guidelines, find a school whose guidelines you agree with, work to change them, or homeschool and make up your own guidelines.

 

[okeydokey]

I just think it's peculiar that a parent has to give a public school any excuse to take a family vacation. It's all just plain silly and mad. By the way, my DS's school requires a written note for any absence. My note simply said he was going to be absent. But if it were made to be an issue, I would use the religious holiday observance excuse.

The connection between illegal immigration and school excuse wording is... if the school is not going to question legal residence of illegal immigrants (I consider this a more serious offense than a family vacation), the school shouldn't question me about something so minor as missing a few days of school to spend time with family.

The way I look at it... our schools close several days a month, dismiss students 2 hours early many times, close or open late if there's 1 inch of snow on the ground (and everyone runs to the stores and buys all the bread, milk, and toilet paper). If you're from MD, you know what I mean about the hysteria every time it snows. We use up a LOT of our vacation time from work to cover those times. Every once in a while, I actually like to use vacation time for.... vacation.

What an absurd reason.

Hey, I think you have every right to take your kids out of school any time you want. I think the school has the right to enact all the consequences of taking your kids out. A win win for everyone.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I couldn't agree more with point #5.

But as to point #4... How much of what you learned in your education program pertained to classroom management, legal requirements, and special ed situations that wouldn't come up if you were only teaching your own children?.

Actually, I only had one course that dealt with legal requirements/special ed. Classroom management was incorporated with our laboratory teachings in those classes, but it was not a separate course. Every other course I took in both my undergrad classes and post-bachelor's classes has specifically dealt with the material I was teaching and differentiating teaching methods so that I could adapt teaching to individual students as needed.

IMO, everything those classes taught me would be useful when teaching your own children. Knowing the material itself, obviously important. Having a variety of methods to choose from is also important, as if you have multiple kids it's likely they won't learn in the same manner. Even just teaching one kid, approaching the material from various viewpoints can help them understand the information more completely than just one method.

 

[Angel Ariel]

It seems to me that year round school would be a great fit for those families whose jobs prohibit them from taking vacations in the summer. Plenty of options for non-summer vacations with year round school and no need for your children to miss school days.

I agree. I worked in a school with a year round schedule. I thought I would hate it, but it actually worked very well. They had the same spring break and winter break that the entire district had (the district had traditional schools as well), but they also had extended breaks during other times of the year - times that would be "off season" at Disney. School ended at the end of June/early July, and didn't start again til the traditional schools started as well - so still a lengthy summer break, just not as lengthy as the traditional schools.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

Let's keep this thread ON TOPIC from this point on and dispense with the arguments and discussions of hot button political issues, both of which expressly violate the DIS's posting guidelines. Further violations of the guidelines will result in infractions being issued and the possible closure of this thread. Thanks.