Taking kids out of school for trip

[jesszac610]

For our trip next week, I will be taking my DS11 and DD7 out of school. I was told today that I would have to unenroll the kids and then reenroll them when we return. They are both straight A students, will only be missing 5 days, and have 0 absenses for school year as yet. Any one else have to do this or it just another "bonus" for living in Massachusetts???

 

[YesI'mObsessed]

Wow, that seems a little drastic, and unnecessary. I would definitely complain to someone. Here in my neighborhood, we just need to send in a note. My sister who lives about 3 hours away from me, same state, she has to get written permission from her principal.

 

[jesszac610]

yeah I thought it abit much too, I was considering going to the school committee mtg. tonight to complain, but it is televised and I don't want to cause any embarrassment for my son. We've never had to do this before!!
and this will be his 7th trip!!!!

 

[daisyduck123]

Definetely don't have to do that here in my part of Maryland.

We just returned last week from 8 days at POP & yes, we pulled DD11 & DS7 out of school.

We're doing it again in May.

School will be always be there when we get back.

I'm sure your kids will have a wonderful trip full of fantastic memories!
My DD11 actually cried for about an hour on our last night.

 

[Happy05]

Definetely don't have to do that here in my part of Maryland.

We just returned last week from 8 days at POP & yes, we pulled DD11 & DS7 out of school.

We're doing it again in May.

School will be always be there when we get back.

I'm sure your kids will have a wonderful trip full of fantastic memories!
My DD11 actually cried for about an hour on our last night.

Wow! Are you allowed THAT MANY personal days? Around here, a teacher gets 2 personal days and would have to be docked any additional days missed for a vacation (unless they have saved up personal days from previous years).

OP, I have never heard of such! Seems like the school would work with you considering your kids are straight "A" students and have zero absences.

 

[clori]

having to unenroll and reenroll is definately not a Massachusetts state law for 5 days. I just took my dd out for 5 days then she came back and ended up with the stomach bug. She missed 7 days in a row in January. I live in MA and did not have to unenroll/reenroll her. However I have heard of people having to do that if they miss too much (not clear on how much too much is). If you do have to unenroll just remember that the school is not obliged to hold open the spots. In my school district it seems to be primarily used when people take their kids out of the country to places like Mexico for a unspecified period rather than for kids going away for a weeks vacation. My dd's teacher did tell me though that last year one parent was quite upset that her child was being held back. The child missed 89 school days mostly for family travel and didn't attempt to make up any missed work.

 

[lovesdumbo]

having to unenroll and reenroll is definately not a Massachusetts state law for 5 days. I just took my dd out for 5 days then she came back and ended up with the stomach bug. She missed 7 days in a row in January. I live in MA and did not have to unenroll/reenroll her. However I have heard of people having to do that if they miss too much (not clear on how much too much is). If you do have to unenroll just remember that the school is not obliged to hold open the spots. In my school district it seems to be primarily used when people take their kids out of the country to places like Mexico for a unspecified period rather than for kids going away for a weeks vacation. My dd's teacher did tell me though that last year one parent was quite upset that her child was being held back. The child missed 89 school days mostly for family travel and didn't attempt to make up any missed work.

How does a child miss 89 days of school? MA has a 180 day requirement. That child missed as many days at they attended. How does the parent have that many days available to travel.

I live in MA and my DD missed 6 days of 1st grade for Disney and then came home sick. My DD's teacher gave her some work to do and said have a good time. 1 week of school is so much easier on the teacher than kids who constantly miss Mondays and Fridays. My DD was out today with the flu but that is the only other day she's missed since our Oct trip.

I would try talking to someone else in the school district. Don't you know anyone else who has done this? Could they have misunderstood how long you'd be gone? Maybe they thought 5 weeks? Good Luck!!!!

 

[loopner67]

For our trip next week, I will be taking my DS11 and DD7 out of school. I was told today that I would have to unenroll the kids and then reenroll them when we return. They are both straight A students, will only be missing 5 days, and have 0 absenses for school year as yet. Any one else have to do this or it just another "bonus" for living in Massachusetts???

That seems so extreme and so wrong. When you get back, I think you should really inquire about it and not let it go. I wonder why they'd have such a policy?

For us, we have to fill out a form about the vacation, listing all of the educational reasons why we are taking our children out of school. We get *very* creative with the answers, but WDW has to much to offer that really *IS* educational, you know? I have just filled in the forms, sent them in, then the teacher will give me the work . I don't necessarily get a letter back with any kind of approval (so why fill out the paper work???).

As long as my children are doing well in school and haven't missed too many days, I will continue to take them out of school so that we can visit WDW during "off times" and not during any kind of school holiday.

Have a wonderful trip!!

 

[daisyduck123]

Wow! Are you allowed THAT MANY personal days? Around here, a teacher gets 2 personal days and would have to be docked any additional days missed for a vacation (unless they have saved up personal days from previous years).

No, I used some sick days, along with personal days.

 

[jesszac610]

Thanks everyone for your replies! This is something that definately irks me! no it's not a mistake for my kids are enrolled in 2 different schools and I heard the same thing from both the Elementary as well as the middle school.
Yes, it's a pain in the you know what to do paper work but what jars me is the amount of Make-up work my straight A student is STILL required to make-up for the 5 missed days! If he is unenrolled, then he is not a student so why does he have to make up work if technically according to the records he is not a student that week???? All I can think is I'm being made a precendent for all the other families who don't give a crap and let their kids stay out of school whenever they can't get them out of bed.

 

[HeatherC]

Oh My God...I would be livid if I were you!! How ridiculous is that? Not only does it take up your time filling out stupid unnecessary paperwork, but also then they have to pay someone to "file" the paperwork!!!

Two of my kids are going to miss 4 days next week as well. And you know what I say to the school? Tough..

How about the children that are "homeschooled" for a year or two. Do they make them make up "missed" work. How stupid is that? As long as the child gets the work done and is not struggling, I think it is our right as parents to do whatever we decide is best.

I am sending a note to my kids teachers tomorrow and just telling them that the kids will not be in....no explanation.. and if they want the missed work done this weekend, we will do it and return it on Monday before we leave. Or if they prefer we will do it when they return.

I hope anyone doesn't take this the wrong way. I was a teacher and still think this is ridiculous. And most times, it's the secretary outside the principal's office who will tell people this and love having the power to do so.

Good luck to you and I hope you have a wonderful time. Believe me your kids will have great memories of this coming week when they are all grown. I can pretty much bet this one week of school will be long forgotten by then.

HeatherC

 

[lovesdumbo]

Hi! Me from MA again. I just went to my 1st grader's parent/teacher conference this morning. I asked the teacher if it would be OK if my DD, who missed 6 days for Disney in Oct, missed a few more days in May. She said "Do it!".

Have a great trip!

 

[Tomskatt]

Huh? Ridiculous! My kids will just be absent.... so be it! Life is to short .... Oh don't get me started before my coffee!

 

[mom2my3kids]

I will be taking my three kids out of school in october for 4 days during our fall break. We will be in florida for a total of 9 days with weekends. My kids at the time will be 13,9 and 3.

Tammy

 

[HeatherC]

Well...I told my kids teachers (1st and 3rd grade) this week that they will miss 4 days next week. They were very nice and are sending home the missed work today so that we can complete it and return it before we leave on Monday. (My request).

One other good point that someone just told me about this....I don't think they can legally make you unenroll a child if you are a taxpayer in the town. (Masssachusetts, I mean). You may want to bring this up with them and maybe they will back down. After all...what will they do if a kid is out for a week or so because they are sick.

God....I hate ridiculousness. Have a great trip anyway...no matter what they do to try and put a damper on things!

HeatherC

 

[Tinkbellfan]

Does anyone think that this has anything to do with "no child left behind"? I also heard that if a school has too many absent children, it effects the amount of funds it gets from the state. Anybody know if this has any truth either?

It just doesn't sound right that you would have to unenroll your children.

I am taking my child out of school for Disney next week. She is only in K so the teachers seem to be fine with it.

 

[MBW]

I've actually threatened this (unenroll and re-enroll) my kids to school administrators who make a fuss about family travel. For us, we have no choice, as two of our children are autistic and would never be able to handle Disney during peak crowds.

I don't think, however, that your child should have to do homework if they are not enrolled. The school can't have it both ways. It may be easier for your children if they have the assignments so they can keep up to date, but there really no justification for them having to turn the work in - they're not students.

We're in a new school district, and I informed them when we moved here in January that they would be out the week after President's week. Fortunately, it turns out there are teacher workshops a couple of days that week. I wouldn't give a fig anyway. The kids were out of school for six months as we traveled around the US last year, and all are doing just fine (and I don't think my having a M.Ed. had much to do with it, as their principal likes to think.)

 

[themudd4]

I've actually threatened this (unenroll and re-enroll) my kids to school administrators who make a fuss about family travel. For us, we have no choice, as two of our children are autistic and would never be able to handle Disney during peak crowds.

Not sure if you know this but if they still do this: If you get a note from your doctor about your children being autistic, and can not handle large crowds, and or lines...Disney will give you a card or pass that allows you to skip the lines and go up the handicap ramp.

 

[themudd4]

Last May I pulled our DD out of school a week. I know a few of the teachers personally at the school and mentioned it to them ahead of time. They told me NOT to tell the school we were going on vacation, because that was an UNEXCUSED absence. So instead we straight up LIED!!! Well, before you judge me...She was a straight A student and I didn't want to pull her GPA down over a vacation. So I told the school it was a family Wedding that I was in...and so that when she came back to school with tales of WDW, I made sure to tell them that the wedding was at WDW. Worked like a charm. Not only did she get to do her work most of the teachers either let her get a little ahead of the rest of the class, just didn't count the work for or against her, or let her take it with her...Whcich was only a few little things and she did it all before we even left!

As far as un-enrolling them...and then re-enrolling, I would not do it. Plain and simple. What are they going to do. You could not be truent if they have not missed any other days of school? If I had too I would even call into school every morning and tell them we had a "Personal" emergency family matter and they would not be at school. You don't have to tell them that the family emergency was that you needed a Disney Fix.

 

[**pixiedust**]

I live in MA and have never heard of this absolutely ridiculous rule. You mean to tell me that when strep throat was going around my son's kindergarten class last fall and there were kids who were out 4-5 days sick that those kids were disenrolled from school? I would raise you-know-what if I was told that. Like everyone else has said...if your kids are good students and haven't missed alot of other days, then make the decision that you feel is right. I will be taking my kids out of school for a week in May to go to WDW, and if the school says anything to me, I will politely remind them that my children, who haven't missed one day of school this year thus far, stayed home for numerous "professional days" this year that the school scheduled for teachers. That is not a dig against the teachers, but if the school committee can schedule those days and not worry about the kids missing school, then I can schedule my own vacation.