Taking kids of out school in Texas to cruise

[SA53]

Don't Mess With Texas... That is basically how it goes here. It is all about funding. When my son had his appendix out he could only miss 2 days before his assignments would start counting as 0's... Here, 2nd graders have percentage grades already and anything they miss during unexcused absences count as zeros. Now, there are always pockets of schools that have a much mellower approach. The trick would be to feel that out when you got to your new school. On the bright side, my kids are getting a great education here in north SA!!! It is crazy living in Texas that I can't even cruise out of Galveston because the Magic is only here during the school year and then heads to NY in the summer when we could go. I would love to cruise to Hawaii but will have to wait til my kids are out of school. I am braving Florida this July for the world and a cruise and I am scared of the heat, but happy I don't have to worry about missing school.

Good luck with your decision.

K in SA

 

[OrcaPotter]

As a teacher, I would encourage any parent who wants to take their child out of school for an extended period for non-emergency reasons to know their child first. If you have an above-average level student and check with the teacher/school first, I say go for it. If you have a struggling student? You'd be doing your child a disservice, no matter how educational you believe touring ruins is or chatting with different nationalities.

I know if that unless I had extenuating circumstances, I wouldn't take my child out of school for more than a few days' time for family vacations. There are plenty of days throughout the year that kids are out of school. Of course, parent work schedules don't always agree. So if the middle of the school year is the only time my family could go? I'd do what I could to responsibly ensure my child is still prepared and on track with his/her education, then enjoy our family vacation.

You had this trip planned far in advance and had previously arranged to make up for the absence. If disenrolling your child is the only way to go? Go for it.

 

[catislander]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate all the feedback, it gives me a lot to think about. This trip was planned with school in mind and feedback from who we thought would be her teacher.
I agree with what many of the previous posters had mentioned about knowing your kid -- if our DD was struggling I never would have dreamed of booking this cruise in the first place.
We'll be finalizing our plans in the next couple of weeks, which will of course involve calling the school district. Frankly, it feels a little like the job interview when you have to confess that, if hired, you have a previously booked vacation that you can't get out of. <g>
If they balk, I'll bring up the idea of the un-enrolling. If worse comes to worst, I would consider homeschooling; although I can't believe that a school district would rather not have a student at all instead of just not having a student for two weeks.
I really want this move to be positive for my daughter and there's nothing like cancelling a very much anticipated trip to put a damper on a move. I realize we need to teach our kids that there's disappointment in life, but moving can be disruptive enough for children without it having a downside like that.
And hood98, hopefully we'll meet on the cruise -- there's a cruise meet group here and on facebook.
Thanks again everyone for the feedback. I haven't posted as often as I've lurked but I really appreciate everyone here on the Disboards.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I'm hoping cruisers with school-age kids in Texas can help me. We currently live in Southern California. Eight months ago, after talking with my daughter's current teacher (who she would most likely have for the next year as well) we booked the two-week Hawaiian cruise for October. Our plans were to do what's called a "contract" where the student does assigned work during the missed time. That way the school gets the money for the student and the student doesn't get too far behind. Our daugther's teacher was excited for us.
Now, due to some changes in life, we're talking about moving to Texas. This was a planned move, it's just happening sooner than planned.
I wanted to know from anyone with experience taking their kids out of school in Texas if the situation will be any different. Do Texas schools offer contracts? Do teachers frown on family vacations during the school year? Should I just home school my daughter for the next school year (sarcasm, I think)?
For what it's worth, my daughter will be in second grade and is an excellent student who works well independently.

Dont worry about frowns, remember YOU are the parents.......not the school system, if you feel your kids grades are good enough and can afoford whatever number of days you want to take them out (IMO.....not to many makes good common sense), its up to you if you take them out or not!

I found out that frankly the school rules are not always legal or enforcable. We got the kids homework and had it all done before we returned, each time we went to WDW.....

Once the middle school principal didn't want to give us the homework, but his opinion was *adjusted* and all went well!


Have a great trip, whatever you decide!


AKK

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I'm a teacher and taking a week off for a cruise during the school year just isn't happening. I'd hoped that the Magic would do 4 and 5 night cruises out of Galveston (like the Carnival ship does) especially since it's during the school year. That way, people would make a long weekend of it instead of having to miss a whole week. So, instead of being able to drive to Galveston, I've got to fly to Florida to be able to cruise during the summer.

(I am debating Spring Break 2014 if it's back for that year, though).

 

[Mickeyhugger]

I'm a teacher and taking a week off for a cruise during the school year just isn't happening. I'd hoped that the Magic would do 4 and 5 night cruises out of Galveston (like the Carnival ship does) especially since it's during the school year. That way, people would make a long weekend of it instead of having to miss a whole week. So, instead of being able to drive to Galveston, I've got to fly to Florida to be able to cruise during the summer.

(I am debating Spring Break 2014 if it's back for that year, though).

Would it be possible for you to sail in spring break 2013? (Our family just booked the March 9th sailing, spring break week in Dallas.)

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Would it be possible for you to sail in spring break 2013? (Our family just booked the March 9th sailing, spring break week in Dallas.)

No, we have some other things planned for then.

 

[DizneGal]

I say, go with your gut, mama! You're the mama!!!

I'm in Texas and I will be pulling my 4th grader out of school for 6 days in December to go on our cruise. The school is just going to need to suck it up. I am one of those that feel that removing them from class to have a life experience with their family is worth the weight in absences and missed school work. I also speak from the side of a child who excels in school and pulling them out won't be detrimental to their education. I like the un-enrolling idea, and if push comes to shove, I will certainly do that. You would think it would be more of a hassle on their end to do that rather than just letting the unexcused absences go. But what do I know?! I'm just a parent. (insert sarcasm here.)

 

[kmcford]

Withdrawing and reenrolling a student is not really a big deal. Of course a school would rather do that but it is out of there hands. I don't know Texas law but a lot of state funding can be linked to ADA ( Average Daily Attendance). A school can also be identified as not proficienct if they drop below the acceptable level.

I know that in my district we have to report to our district office our attendance rate each day and then they have to report their attendance rate as a district to the state school board. In Kansas our funding is not based on ADA but right next to us Missouri is.

 

[princesskenziesmom]

We live in San Antonio and we are pulling our kids for a week to go on a cruise in 12 days!! The teachers are fine with it, I haven't spoken to the Principal about it and to top it all off it's STAAR testing that week. You can't have more than 9 unexcused absences in a semester They won't give us any homework to take but my kids are both A and A/B honor roll so I'm not really too stressed. It's my decision ultimately and we did it when they were in First grade and we just received a letter saying that if they missed any more unexcused absences that we would have to go to court

I think if you are going to do the trip, disenrolling them would be the best. Have a blast,,Hawaii is fantastic!!

 

[Mamiamjo]

To the OP, call the school and explain the situation and see what they say. We only pulled our kids out once (for a week). They wouldn't even give us homework to do while we were gone, but family we have that lives in the neighboring ISD were able to get assignments and Homework to take with them

 

[fatfish]

We are also in Texas, in a suburb of Houston. The state law here is very strict on the number of absences, as others have said. However, the law allows only 2 Unexcused absences a sememster and a total of 18 days absent for the school year. If a child has more than 18 days absent they have to repeat that grade, even if they have straight A's. You can petition this, but you better have good records to prove why the child was absent. I personally think this is a stupid law, but unfortunately they don't let me make the laws.

DD has asthma, and it was really, really bad when she was in 1st grade. She came perilously close to those 18 days. Once we hit 9 days, we got a letter every time she missed a day. Luckily for us, the principal's daughter also had asthma, and she was very sympathetic. However, the attendance clerk at that time was old and cranky, and would regularly lecture parents that they had better not take their kids out of school so they could go to Disney World.

Having said that, we have regularly taken DD out of school a day before or after a school vacation or holiday. I just send a note saying DD was sick. This will work for a day or 2 but not a whole week. Also, we are on the Thanksgiving cruise this coming year. DD will be missing 2 days of school. It used to be the schools were closed the whole week of Thanksgiving, but now they are open Monday and Tuesday, but many, many kids are out. I have no problem with her missing those 2 days, and will likely send the "sick" note again. The school knows 99% of the kids out that week are not sick, but its just going to cause them more headaches to question it.

My point is that it depends upon the school, the school district and the teacher. You might do better in a face to face meeting where you can read the person you are speaking with. That can be hard to do over the phone. At least in our district, state funding is a big thing. Our school hates to hear that a child is leaving to be homeschooled. So, if your new school balks at the idea of taking your child out for the cruise, you might just mention that if its going to be a problem, you will just homeschool your child. That might be enough to get their attention.

Wimberely is outside of Austin, correct? Have you been there yet? You might want to get a feel for the town, and the attitudes of the people who live there. Ask some of your new neighbors how they would handle it. They'll have the best idea of how to approach the school.

And if all else fails, do as PP's have said and unenroll and then re-enroll your kids. I may try this in the future myself.

Good luck to you and Welcome to Texas!!

 

[peachygreen]

Each school district may vary slightly, but the Texas Education Code is linked below. Every district I have looked at makes reference to and closely mirrors what is written here.


http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.25.htm

The compulsory attendance policy basically states that a student can not miss more than 10 days or part of days in a 6 month period in the same school year or 3 days or part days in a 4 week period.

I was reminded of the policy after only 1 excused absense this year (not a formal warning but I was reminded of it by the school).

I do plan to take my daughter out of school for 3 days next year around Thanksgiving. We'll see how that plays out.

 

[tiggerb]

wow... no offense to anyone who lives in TX (and have heard of other states too being quite strict), but I am glad to not have quite the severity/consequences as you have. I teach in one state and live in another.

At least in the 2 districts, we have not had a problem w/ me being off (unpaid) or my DSs missing school (and same for the students in the school I teach in. Our next trip is in the Fall '13 and oldest will be in 8th grade. It may be a bit more tricky and lots of work to make up (supposively they don't give work ahead of time --- at elementary level, just journal and a few things to make up). Probably our last trip during the school year, or they will miss a day or two since their district never gives them a full week off--- if a week's worth, it's the last part of one week and the few days of the next (tough to plan a one week vacation) .

Good Luck!

 

[Jaxs27]

Each school district may vary slightly, but the Texas Education Code is linked below. Every district I have looked at makes reference to and closely mirrors what is written here.


http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.25.htm

The compulsory attendance policy basically states that a student can not miss more than 10 days or part of days in a 6 month period in the same school year or 3 days or part days in a 4 week period.

I was reminded of the policy after only 1 excused absense this year (not a formal warning but I was reminded of it by the school).

I do plan to take my daughter out of school for 3 days next year around Thanksgiving. We'll see how that plays out.

What does it mean by part of days? I've taken my dd out of school a few times, I didn't realize that counted.

 

[ilovetexas]

wow... no offense to anyone who lives in TX (and have heard of other states too being quite strict), but I am glad to not have quite the severity/consequences as you have. I teach in one state and live in another.

At least in the 2 districts, we have not had a problem w/ me being off (unpaid) or my DSs missing school (and same for the students in the school I teach in. Our next trip is in the Fall '13 and oldest will be in 8th grade. It may be a bit more tricky and lots of work to make up (supposively they don't give work ahead of time --- at elementary level, just journal and a few things to make up). Probably our last trip during the school year, or they will miss a day or two since their district never gives them a full week off--- if a week's worth, it's the last part of one week and the few days of the next (tough to plan a one week vacation) .

Good Luck!

I think these policies are more common than we imagine. I live in GA and I copied this straight off the dds.gov website:

The DDS will suspend the license of a minor who:

2. Has ten or more school days of unexcused absences in the current academic year or ten or more school days of unexcused absences in the previous academic year.

Any infraction of the above conduct offenses will be a one-year suspension, or the minor shall be suspended until his or her eighteenth birthday, whichever comes first.

They aren't fooling around, either. I volunteer in the attendance office at my DD's high school and in order for the kids to go get a Learner's Permit or a Drivers License, we have to validate the information. If they violate the attendance rules, the info goes automatically to the government to suspend their license. All cruising with kids/kids missing school has to be done before high school here. I guess that's what we get for allowing the government to educate our children.

 

[mmouseforpres]

As a school district employee in Texas, I can tell you that our schools are funded by average daily attendance (ADA). In addition, part of the state accountability system which rates our schools/districts uses daily attendance as a factor. So, anytime a student has absences his/her school loses money and the school's ranking could be lowered.

Like many people in Texas have already said, with the cruises out of Galveston only being during the school year, many Texas families won't be able to take part in cruises other than Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring Break.

You may think the school district is being unfair, but we are following our state's laws when enforcing the attendance policy. If you don't like it, talk to your elected state officials.

 

[buckeyemom16]

Having worked at an Educational Service Center (like a school board for the whole county) in Ohio, I will say that un-enrolling children might not solve any problems you may have. I did all the paperwork for the for the truancy office filing charges-- yep, against parents and/or children (if they were older). Our schools were not allowed to un-enroll someone officially until they received a request from another school. The suggestion from any school in any state to do this seems like a bit of a fishy way to get around that state's policies and may land you in hot water in the end. If the truancy officer is doing their job, you will get caught. There is still an unexplained gap in attendance whether the children are un-enrolled or not.

Also as the previous poster said, people may think this is unfair but the schools are rated for many things including their attendance. It is the law that children should be in school so many days per year and schools can lose certain funds/rankings if attendance rates are not met.

 

[Duhey2]

Surprisingly, quite a few Houston peeps on here. For those that are familiar with the suburbs, does anyone have experience with CFISD?

We took our DD out for four days and her teacher told me she was fine with my letting her know, to notify the attendance office, and have a nice trip. She's a first grader so I can't imagine her missing much. While I value attendance, i also think quality of life and family time may be more important sometimes. I didn't realize all it took was nine absences to ge you in hot water. Maybe I shouldn't be a parent?

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Surprisingly, quite a few Houston peeps on here. For those that are familiar with the suburbs, does anyone have experience with CFISD?

We took our DD out for four days and her teacher told me she was fine with my letting her know, to notify the attendance office, and have a nice trip. She's a first grader so I can't imagine her missing much. While I value attendance, i also think quality of life and family time may be more important sometimes. I didn't realize all it took was nine absences to ge you in hot water. Maybe I shouldn't be a parent?

I taught for CFBISD for several years, and we never made a big deal out of it, but that was years ago. I teach HS for Plano now and I had a girl gone for 5 days after spring break. It really does vary per district and campus as to whether they are going to be strict on enforcement or not.