So frustrated right now - school start date change

[Gumbo4x4]

I hope none of you who are frustrated by the school calender being late ever have a child in athletics. It gets even worse! We are talking not knowing tournament dates a couple months out. Let alone knowing an actual athletic season schedule.

That's actually part of the frustration. We have neither the swim team schedule nor the school start date. And there is a VERY narrow window between the two

 

[hereyago]

I live in Virginia, so it is always the day after Labor day. If it were to change after I made plans then it would fall under"too bad so sad, I am not changing plans because you
dont have your stuff together".

I was a military kid and even after that moved around quite a bit, so there were times I had to start a new school way after the first day, kids are more resilient then people think.

 

[Colleen27]

I hope none of you who are frustrated by the school calender being late ever have a child in athletics. It gets even worse! We are talking not knowing tournament dates a couple months out. Let alone knowing an actual athletic season schedule.

It has been just the opposite for us. I already have most of DD13's freshman volleyball schedule in hand (games and annual tourney, plus potential playoff dates but not locations - only practices are as yet unscheduled, waiting on the school calendar). The football calendar is out already too, and with it the marching band schedule. As far as I know other fall sports are the same. But we probably won't see a school calendar for another 2-3 months - it isn't unusual for it to be published right around the end of the previous school year.

Now, Little League? That's terrible. We sometimes have just a week or two notice on tournaments. But that's an all-volunteer league playing against other all-volunteer leagues, and planning and communication are frequent issues. High school athletics are much more well-organized and planned well in advance.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Forgive the rant. I just need to vent it!

We plan our Disney trips a year out. Usually book a bounce back etc. We just learned this morning, our school district has decided to start school before Labor Day this year. August 31st, right in the middle of our currently planned trip! AAAACCCCKKKK!!!! How the heck can they make this decision 5 months before the start of the school year? What the heck?!?!?!?!

OK, now that that is done. What would you do? I know there are always discussions here on missing school for vacations, and I normally would not do that, but this is the first 4 days of school. Our son is going to 1st grade, and our daughter 8th. The first week can swing two ways. They either do nothing all week but orient, or they start off running. This is VERY frustrating, especially as the bounce back dates for our trip don't let us move it up any further.

Thoughts? Anyone face anything similar recently?

This happened to us with Chicago Public Schools in 2013-2014. We took our vacation as scheduled, called the schools at the beginning of the week to let them know our kids would be out for a vacation that was planned long before the calendar was changed, and the absences weren't even recorded as absences because they weren't there for the official first day of school, so their first day back was considered their first day of attendance. We would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[StitchBuddy]

I hope none of you who are frustrated by the school calender being late ever have a child in athletics. It gets even worse! We are talking not knowing tournament dates a couple months out. Let alone knowing an actual athletic season schedule.

Don't forget to throw in select sports. Between school sports, select sports and the fact that I have to start school a week and half before the kids return, we have only one week to go on vacation during the summer. It's been that way for 6 years now. This is our last summer to work our vacation around sports. Can't wait! Not mention more money to go on vacation, because we won't have all the travel expenses that are involved with sports. That being said, we leave this Thursday for NYC, yup sports related! My DD is running in the New Balance Nationals Meet. We are tacking on a couple extra day and staying until the following Tuesday. So she and I will miss the first two day of a new six weeks. She misses a ton of school in the spring, almost all sports related.

 

[bsblady01]

sorry I would change the dates of your vacation kids need to be in school on the first day

 

[mulanshaircut]

I would change the date with an 8th grader. I wouldn't worry about the 1st grader at all. DD's school frustrates me to no end - we didn't get the start day of school this year until well into July, much less other breaks.

This is how our school system is also. Very frustrating.

 

[Laura66]

I get you are frustrated - but I would never schedule a vacation that close to the first day.
One - because you never know what day they'll pick and two, there are orientations and too many things to be done that week before school.
If they are in any sports or school activities - for us - they would have already started.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I'm pretty sure that around here if your child isn't present for the first few days they are dropped with the assumption you've moved or something.

That happened to my niece. She was really ill and had a doctor's note, but they basically had to enroll her again.

 

[Laura66]

Wish we could, but the bounce back\offer is only good starting on the days we are already scheduled for. I also already have all of my dining reservations setup\scheduled, which means now I'd have to redo all of them, and probably not get half of what we wanted.

My real frustration here is that over the past five years the school district keeps flopping starting before or after Labor Day. Pick one already! When I was a kid, it didn't matter WHEN Labor Day was, you didn't start school until after it. Why this sudden change all over the place.

Ah well, I'm foreseeing huge discussions at the dinner table this evening regarding this.

If it's a pain to reschedule reservations and fast passes - for a vacation - can you imagine what a pain it will be to make up work for school - which counts?
When I went to school we didn't start until after Labor Day. My kids have always started the third week of August. School sports and other activities the first week of August.

 

[aejammers]

If it's a pain to reschedule reservations and fast passes - for a vacation - can you imagine what a pain it will be to make up work for school - which counts?
When I went to school we didn't start until after Labor Day. My kids have always started the third week of August. School sports and other activities the first week of August.

Agreed.
Plus do you think your kids will enjoy their Vacation when they are worrying about the school days they are missing?

 

[Laura66]

Agreed.
Plus do you think your kids will enjoy their Vacation when they are worrying about the school days they are missing?

The first week is a big deal. Open house, teachers going over their class rules and schedules, friends start pairing up, sign ups for activities for students and parents. If you miss sports or bands or clubs will there be consequences regarding participation and play time?

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I guess things have changed a lot since I was in school. My parents used to pull us out of school for vacations at times. We missed up to a week, it was never a big deal.

It's 4 days, the way people are going on about how no way they'd do that and omg no they'd be so lost, you'd think it was 4 weeks! I'd imagine within the next week or so of being back, it'd be like nothing happened.

Especially since your 8th grader will have a 4-day weekend after the first week to catch up if she needs it.

 

[kamik86]

I guess things have changed a lot since I was in school. My parents used to pull us out of school for vacations at times. We missed up to a week, it was never a big deal.

It's 4 days, the way people are going on about how no way they'd do that and omg no they'd be so lost, you'd think it was 4 weeks! I'd imagine within the next week or so of being back, it'd be like nothing happened.

Especially since your 8th grader will have a 4-day weekend after the first week to catch up if she needs it.

I myself was pulled out of school often and had no problem with that. Missing a week wouldn't be a problem at all and definitely not a huge one. However missing the FIRST week would have in many classes.

Just like at my job there are certain days where if I wake up and am really tired and just don't feel like working that day I could just take PTO, let me boss know and it would not be an issue. There are other days where I really need to be there if at all possible. Same things with schools.

Missing a week is ok, missing a week at the beginning of the year, during finals, the week where most of the review of finals is done and study guides are given out, and probably a few other weeks may not be ok.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I guess things have changed a lot since I was in school. My parents used to pull us out of school for vacations at times. We missed up to a week, it was never a big deal.

It's 4 days, the way people are going on about how no way they'd do that and omg no they'd be so lost, you'd think it was 4 weeks! I'd imagine within the next week or so of being back, it'd be like nothing happened.

Especially since your 8th grader will have a 4-day weekend after the first week to catch up if she needs it.

Well in my opinion, missing the first week is much different than missing a week any other time during the school year.

 

[Minnesota!]

Why, underpriviledged children don't like having a fall break? That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. Even if they can't afford to go away, their families can still do things to
enjoy their time off. What morons.

It's the underpriviledged kids whose parents cannot afford the childcare for the added week off of school...which is the concern.

 

[Ginny Favers]

We plan our trips in advance, too, and we always usually go the week prior to Labor Day. However, when I noticed Labor Day was late this year, I checked calendars for previous years when Labor Day happened that late, just to see. Noticed that they have a history of starting school the week before when Labor Day happens so late in the month.

Booked our trip for the week of August, knowing that they'd be going to school the following Monday (the Monday before Labor Day).

Sure enough, we're starting school the week before Labor Day.

This is not the first year ever Labor Day falls that late. I can't believe that this would be the first time ever that a school would start prior to?

 

[smitch425]

We plan our trips in advance, too, and we always usually go the week prior to Labor Day. However, when I noticed Labor Day was late this year, I checked calendars for previous years when Labor Day happened that late, just to see. Noticed that they have a history of starting school the week before when Labor Day happens so late in the month.

Booked our trip for the week of August, knowing that they'd be going to school the following Monday (the Monday before Labor Day).

Sure enough, we're starting school the week before Labor Day.

This is not the first year ever Labor Day falls that late. I can't believe that this would be the first time ever that a school would start prior to?

OP stated that sometimes they start before and sometimes after. It would seem like they knew this could be a possibility, but still booked the trip.

 

[shoney]

We plan our trips in advance, too, and we always usually go the week prior to Labor Day. However, when I noticed Labor Day was late this year, I checked calendars for previous years when Labor Day happened that late, just to see. Noticed that they have a history of starting school the week before when Labor Day happens so late in the month.

Booked our trip for the week of August, knowing that they'd be going to school the following Monday (the Monday before Labor Day).

Sure enough, we're starting school the week before Labor Day.

This is not the first year ever Labor Day falls that late. I can't believe that this would be the first time ever that a school would start prior to?

I am 42 years old and school has never started before Labor Day. The earliest it has started would be the Tuesday following Labor Day instead of the normal Wednesday start. Starting before labor day would be a shock to me!

If I were the OP, I'd probably go on vacation. If I really thought the 1st grader would be lost, then I would consider cancelling. My boys would have been fine catching up with routine a few days later than everyone else. Would it be ideal? No, but sometime stuff happens!

I have 2 boys now in 8th and 10th grade and they always say what a waste of time the first week of school is. So, I wouldn't mind if they missed if they didn't care.

 

[Ginny Favers]

OP stated that sometimes they start before and sometimes after. It would seem like they knew this could be a possibility, but still booked the trip.

Obviously some years they start before and some years they start after, based on the date of Labor Day. But what I'm saying is; look at schedules for previous years for the district when Labor Day started that late, and see what they did then. They'd likely do the same. That was what I did, and how I avoided this problem.