Taking Children out for Vacation and Absences

[chris1gill]

Forget forms, at my school, if you miss 6 days for vacation(for classes you take every day like math, science, English, etc) you automatically fail for the term. And if it's a semester course, like art, you only get 3 days of absence. Therefore, we are restricted to summer vacations.

Where do you go to school in the Boston area that has a policy like that? Is it public school?

We've gotten around the whole issue as both children are in private school now... we just tell them when the kids will be out, we work with the teachers to get homework & they wish us a great trip... Gotta love the administration, they're great!

 

[Christine]

Call me weird, but I have seriously considered home-schooling. Not because of social reasons, not because of education reasons, strictly for WDW reasons.

I would like to be able to go to WDW anytime. Preferably, no crowds. We can't avoid the crowds when we go by the school calander, and I am so very tired of the guilt I feel when my kids miss school.

I mean really, in 20 years when the kids look back, is it truly going to matter that they missed a few days of school each year to go to WDW?

I guess I just don't understand this. And I'm not saying you are wrong and my experience with the public school system is only limited to the one here in Prince William County, Virginia. But, why is this even an issue? Is your school system REALLY that bad. As long as you don't have a sickly child, or one who takes off for every headache, cough, or sniffle, then taking your child out of school for a one-week vacation at ANY time shouldn't be a problem. Why do you feel guilty about it? Does the school really "shame" you or does it just bother you that you have to "ask"? I'm not trying to pick on you specifically, just trying to understand. We took quite a few May WDW trips and all I had to do was let the teacher and the principal know ahead of time that we were pulling her out. Each time, I got the absences "excused". But even if they were "unexcused" I wouldn't care. I guess I just don't see the big deal unless you got some "snotty attitude" when you discussed it with the school.

 

[Daxx]

Are you serious?? Teachers around here get 5 personal days a school year to take as they please....

We get 3 personal days a year. However, as "personal" as they may be, we cannot use them "as we please". We cannot combine two or three of them to use as a vacation nor can they be used the day before or after a holiday. Although it's not written, they prefer that you take a half-day of the personal day rather than a full day. In all honesty, you get a lot of grief for requesting any time off (unless it's illness or hospitalization).

 

[BARBARAAPPLE]

my daughter has missed 6 days of school and we have already received the letter saying she can not miss but 6 more days then they will hold her back
and it was signed by the department of social services so I gather that our school reports every day ...

We are suppose to go away with the family for Thanksgiving she would have had to miss 2 days but I'm not sure whe will be going down the sametime as us ,she may come down with my brother on Wed...

oh we are in NC (guilford county schools)

 

[chrissyk]

Our school districts policy is 10 days per year or you get turned in to DCFS. Excused or unexcused. They don't care. Some of you have very lax attendence policies compared to here wher they have really tightened things up.

Good grief! What if your child has mono or something? You get turned in to social services because they were sick and had to miss school That is really messed-up!

 

[Marseeya]

Call me weird, but I have seriously considered home-schooling. Not because of social reasons, not because of education reasons, strictly for WDW reasons.

I would like to be able to go to WDW anytime. Preferably, no crowds. We can't avoid the crowds when we go by the school calander, and I am so very tired of the guilt I feel when my kids miss school.

I mean really, in 20 years when the kids look back, is it truly going to matter that they missed a few days of school each year to go to WDW?

Years ago, back before homeschooling was so prevalent, I knew of a family in my town who liked to travel a lot and took their daughter out to homeschool on the road. There weren't really as many established laws as there are today, so they had to check in with the school district a lot and do a bunch of progress reports.

If we were wealthy enough to travel that much, I'd consider it too! DH and I could easily cover all the subects. He'd definitely have to have my back in math, though.

 

[bettyann29]

In my childrens school district vacations are automatically unexcused.. They dont get automatic zeros but on unexcused abscences when they make up their work the highest than can get is a 70.. so if they would have made a 100 its now a 70.. if they would have made a 90 its now a 60 and so on.. They also would like notice, so they know why your child is out but you dont have to get permission..

As much as I dont like this policy, Im ok with it.. As long as I know what will happen if I decide to do it, then Im ok with that and can work around that.. My childrens grades are mainly A's with a few B's.. Ive only taken them out once and may next year, but Im not sure yet as it gets harder on them after they are out of elementary school.. My oldest is in middle school now and my son will be there next year..

 

[MiknMinMouse]

Also...with that said...my eldest is advancing in grades where taking her out of school means a lot of catching up to do. It seems unfair to take her out of school and have her play catch up for a short time upon her return.)

I asked my DS if he minds the makeup work that will come with being taken out for our trip in Jan and he says he'd rather go to WDW and deal with the makeup work than miss the annual trek. He truly hates the traditional schedule. Many parents don't realize that from an educational standpoint even, year round is better not only that it's a wise use of tax dollars.

 

[MiknMinMouse]

Good grief! What if your child has mono or something? You get turned in to social services because they were sick and had to miss school That is really messed-up!

It does happen. When I was in HS in Texas I was actually in the hospital for 3 weeks. My parents were in contact with the school to let them know what was going on. They didn't know what was wrong with me I was so sick. The school actually made my parents attend a meeting and threatened legal action because I was missing school, never mind the doctor's letters. It was INSANE!!. So here my parents are not knowing if I was dying and the school is threating them, what a lovely situation. I think that's why I get such an attitude when it comes to my children's schooling. I remember what my parents went through and it makes my blood boil.

 

[delilah]

We just got back from a vacation where we took our son out of school for 5 days. I have lots of respect for teachers, and I take my son's education very seriously. We had to fill out a form to take him out of school, and I did this the first week of the school year, since I knew at that time we were going.

I understand that the school would like for us to take vacations during school breaks and summer. However, alot of parents work outside the home, and, work demands also play into when parents are permitted to take vacation. I, for one, am a physician in a 7 physician group. Of course, our patients need to have physician coverage 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (366 in leap years). Everybody has to take a turn taking holidays and holiday weekends. For example, I am on call next Tuesday, and the Thanksgiving weekend. As you might imagine, it is not easy to "trade call" for a holiday weekend. If I am on call, I cannot go out of town to visit family. I have to stay within a 30 minute radius of the hospital and answer calls from patients or the hospital within 15 minutes, or I would be reported to the medical executive committee, and probably be subject to disciplinary action. As the call schedule is now, I will be on call one of the weekends of spring break. That means I have to work that Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and would not be "off call" until the office opens Monday morning. Last academic year I was on call Easter weekend, which was our first weekend of spring break. I would not have been able to leave on a trip until after 8:30 am Monday. I am on call for Christmas and the Monday after Christmas. These situations effectively preclude trips during those weeks. I know this is boring to teachers to hear, but, these are the situations parents live with. Respecting teachers has little to do with it. Add to it the fact that one of the other doctors was on maternity leave last summer (which means none of the rest of us can have vacation), I am actually rolling over a large amount of vacation time this year.