Taking Kids out of school- Again!

[Nancyg56]

My DD took DGD out of school that same week last year. I won't pretend that we had no reservations but the teacher was supportive and gave Kady her lessons. It was not a "busy" school week, the teacher said to be sure to read with her every day and to complete her homework which was done when she returned, she had 1/2 days before the break when she returned.

My Dd was more concerned that she would miss more school due to illness and then fall behind. I think that you need to do what you are comfortable with, if you think your kids will be able to catch up take them out. If you think that they would come back struggling then tell your family that they cannot leave school. DGD is now in 3rd grade and I think DD has decided that no weeklong breaks are going to happen, in this school system there is a lot of work and she may fall behind.

 

[Korileigh]

I have been worrying about the same thing! We took our girls out last year for 5 days (but one ended up being a snow day!) and it was no big deal. This year we were planning on doing the same thing but now my husband wants to add more days putting them out of school 8 or 9 days!!! We have the 5 day policy too and I am worried about what could happen with court, etc - does anyone have experience with dealing with that? I know it is different in all states - we live in Nashville, TN. My girls will be in 1st and 2nd grade and I feel like this may be the last year we can really do this and get such a good deal with the FD. They are also great students and we are active parents who will make sure we help them make up work or do projects to make it educational. I just have a hard time "breaking the rules" and don't want anything taken out on my girls by the school. We have had an incredibly stressful year with my husband's job and me being in graduate school and just really want to have an amazing getaway with our family.

 

[AZMermaid]

IMHO 8-9 days is too much. That is almost two full weeks. But, is it really going to hurt them in the grand scheme of things, no.

And on the districts legislating it- I totally agree, it isn't right. Especially at 5 days. That seems crazy! Teachers know who had legit reasons to be absent and who doesn't. I did have two kids that I referred in my 3 years teaching. One had missed 42 days and on missed like 25. But these were kids who just didn't come. This was at my first school.

BUT- I know why they do it. It is part of the No Child Left Behind formula that teachers get their "extra" money. My current school won a national award as the Best Science Elementary school in the US. We were 2 absence days (schoolwide) from not getting AYP and losing the teacher money and the "excelling" label. That is why they restrict absences for ALL kids. Don't blame the school, write letters to the legislature regarding NCLB.

 

[Kims09]

Wow- I never thought about this until I read this post!
My first child is entering Kindergarden next year so it's not something I ever had to think about before. I just checked our school district's policy and they allow up to 10 excused absences per year.

Unfortunately, this will be something the plagues us for the rest of our lives. My husband works in pest control and his busy time is during the summer. He is paid based on the amount of work he does, and for obvious reasons, it's more profitable to work as much as can during the summer months. If we want a vacation, we've always scheduled it during the fall/winter months.

We scheduled a WDW trip for October; luckily two of those days are for teacher conference so she would have been off anyways.

Thanks for the post!

 

[dwelty]

BUT- I know why they do it. It is part of the No Child Left Behind formula that teachers get their "extra" money. My current school won a national award as the Best Science Elementary school in the US. We were 2 absence days (schoolwide) from not getting AYP and losing the teacher money and the "excelling" label. That is why they restrict absences for ALL kids. Don't blame the school, write letters to the legislature regarding NCLB.

True, but No Child Left Behind applies to all school districts across the US, so it IS up to the school district. Our school allows 10 absences per semester, before grades are affected, and even then it's up to the teacher if they want to lower the grade. There is nothing in our district policy about court appearences. Our district is the top rated district in Riverside Co. CA, and that is in a county with 1.6 million residents. My point is, school rankings do not directly correspond with attendance policy. and have little affect on how these schools do academically.

 

[jboysen]

Everyone remember these are your children, you need to do what you feel is best for them. As to the teacher who is happy the government is once again stepping in and tell parents how to raise their children, I have to tell you that this is still a FREE country, while I realize there are parents out there who don't give a flying leap what their children are up too, I am not one and refuse to be threatened by people who don't have a clue about me or my family. This is why Charter schools are popping up all over the place. All I can say for people who are in these states and/or school districts these are elected positions, get them voted out.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

Don't give it a second thought. They are YOUR children...NOT the school's. They have no business telling you what they can and cannot do with your kids. All they care about is their funding.

I am horrified reading how different school districts have such horrendous policies and would threaten parents with court. I'd tell them to stuff it!

Family time together is precious. You'll have a great time!!

Yes! Some of my best memories from childhood are the days when Dad would mysteriously join Mom to drive us to school, take a "wrong turn", and Oh-my-look-where-we-ended-up: Disneyland! (or Knott's, or the beach...)
I managed to make it through school despite these devastating attacks on my education.

 

[clarabell]

Our school has a policy that you cannot request work ahead of time. And that the teachers have two days after you return to compile the package of work that you missed. And that you have 2 weeks to complete the makeup work. And that's for excused absences.

However, my daughter's friend frequently takes a Thursday-Friday off to travel with her family and they count it as excused. But they absolutely stick to the policy of not giving you the makeup work til you get back.

We're in Alabama too.

 

[lauris87]

Everyone remember these are your children, you need to do what you feel is best for them. As to the teacher who is happy the government is once again stepping in and tell parents how to raise their children, I have to tell you that this is still a FREE country, while I realize there are parents out there who don't give a flying leap what their children are up too, I am not one and refuse to be threatened by people who don't have a clue about me or my family. This is why Charter schools are popping up all over the place. All I can say for people who are in these states and/or school districts these are elected positions, get them voted out.

 

[Lifeangel1]

We'll be taking the grandsons (7&8) out of school in September. It only happens every 4 years and to me the family time is just as important as school time especially in today's world. Their Dad is a firefighter/emt and is away from home at the firestation alot. This time is very important to us all. we should not be put in the class with the parents who don't feel like getting up in the morning so they keep their kids home. If by chance they feel the need to take their parents to court then so be it. We will all stand as a family and fight.

 

[summerlady]

We took our DGD out of school for five days, she had only one or two previous absences due to illness before our vacation the last week in May. Her 2nd grade teacher kindly put together a packet of work, which she mostly did on the plane to and from Florida. Also, we purchased the passport for her in Epcot so she was able to bring that to school on her first day back and talk to the class about each country that she visited, complete with photos. Ta da! An educational trip! I think that 2nd grade was ok for this, high school is a whole 'nother story.

 

[2poohbears]

Wow- I never thought about this until I read this post!
My first child is entering Kindergarden next year so it's not something I ever had to think about before. I just checked our school district's policy and they allow up to 10 excused absences per year.
Unfortunately, this will be something the plagues us for the rest of our lives. My husband works in pest control and his busy time is during the summer. He is paid based on the amount of work he does, and for obvious reasons, it's more profitable to work as much as can during the summer months. If we want a vacation, we've always scheduled it during the fall/winter months.

We scheduled a WDW trip for October; luckily two of those days are for teacher conference so she would have been off anyways.

Thanks for the post!

just an fyi... check the school's policy on what THEY consider to be "excused absences". our school will not allow "excused absenses" for vacations - whether you tell them in advance or not. Also, if my child is sick and I don't have a doctor's note that indicates they saw him, then it's not an "excused absence". So, basically, any time they are sick I have to pay for a doc's appt if I want it excused.

we took our kids out of school for 5 days to go to wdw when they were in PRE-K. one of them had already missed 3 or 4 other days due to illness (stomach virus, allergy issues which required nebulizer treatments throughout the day). I received a letter in the mail stating that they would notify the DA's office if my son missed another day of school. In PRE-K! It was ridiculous. They missed learning 2 letters that week...which we taught them while on vacation.

unfortunately, schools want to be politically correct, so instead of dealing with attendance, student's lack of preparation, student's behavior, etc on an individual basis, they just make blanket policies to deal with the "bad apples". it's a shame, but it's reality.

 

[AZMermaid]

My point is, school rankings do not directly correspond with attendance policy. and have little affect on how these schools do academically.

Respectfully, no. They CAN if the attendance is poor enough as a school. The attendance is not ranked, but if it drops below a certain level (which may be determined by state- not sure) it will affect your school's "adequate yearly progress" and "label." It is part of the formula- but admittedly, not one that is usually a factor. It just can be.

But, you are right- it is up to the district to set the policy and enforce it. I know at my school letters start getting sent at 7 absences and the threat of court is there at 10. But, I had at least 10 kids last year with 15+ days out of school and none were ever actually taken to court. It is highly unlikely that it would actually happen. I will say- my top 3 students each missed less than 3 days all year- one never missed a day!