Taking kids out of school for vacation

[boomhauer]

My wife and I had plans to take my step-son to Disney in July. We had promised him, and he's all excited about it. However, we just found out, we can't go in July. We can't go any later than May. So, we want to take him out of school for a week to go (he's in kindergarten.) His principal has a strong opposistion to this. What do you do if you're unable to go when your child isn't in school?

What I find so odd about this principal's views is this: The kids have a Christmas concert they perform. It's at 1:00 in the afternoon on a Thursday.
OK, so the principal doesn't think it's OK for kids to miss school, but it's OK for the parents to miss work?

 

[SC Minnie]

We took DD out of school for a few days for vacation until 4th grade. That was the year she was it was harder for her to make up the work.

Personally I don't think missing a few days of kindergarten is going to hurt him. When I told DD's 2nd grade teacher that she would miss 4 days because we were going on a cruise her response was "can I go!!'.

Can you try to book it for a time when they are already out for a day or 2 for teacher conference etc?

 

[Mishetta]

You will receive a lot of opposing views on this subject but we're taking both our kids out for 3 days just before Christmas since we're going to WDW. If we don't check in by a certain date, the rates double at Pop Century & then we could not afford to go. We feel as long as this practice is not abused, once in a while it's okay. In fact, today I enclosed a note in both son's backpacks to alert their teacher that we're taking a family vacation & they will miss 3 days of school. My oldest is a good student & he will make up his work when we return. He's in the 4th grade. If he were in Jr. High, I think we would probably just not go (seeing what my friend's DS gets in homework ~ oodles of work). My youngest is in a special pre-school (for special needs children).

If your child is in K, I wouldn't even hesitate. It's when they are in the higher grades that it's not so easy for them to miss. Just go & have a good time.

 

[boomhauer]

Well, we may go for last week of May, where he's already off for Memorial Day.

What annoys me about his principal is that she's not doing it for educational purposes. She has this atiitude, because if the attendance policy falls below a certain percent, they lose funding. I don't know how that's figured into it.

I'm not trying to say education isn't important, even in kindergarten. However, so is vacation time spent with the family. And unfortunately, we can't always go when it's convenient for the school system.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

ds6 is in 1st grade and we are taking him out of scholl for our disney trip
he has to keep a photo journal while he is gone and report back

if you son is on K i think its fine i think once they get up to 5 or 6th grade it is much harder to do
good luck

 

[KeepSwimming]

Taking our kids out for 5 days for vacation next week.

Teacher was nice enough to put together make up papers for all of them (VERY nice as we were not going to ask her to grade/ prepare anything that would require additional work for herself).

What reason did the principal give for not wanting you to take him out?

 

[Beth76]

I think as long as they're not missing anything important (more an issue for middle or high school) then it's fine. What I don't like is parents who claim it's for educational purposes. Please. You're not going to Disney for a learning experience. It's okay to admit you want to go on vacation.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

Well, we may go for last week of May, where he's already off for Memorial Day.

What annoys me about his principal is that she's not doing it for educational purposes. She has this atiitude, because if the attendance policy falls below a certain percent, they lose funding. I don't know how that's figured into it.

I'm not trying to say education isn't important, even in kindergarten. However, so is vacation time spent with the family. And unfortunately, we can't always go when it's convenient for the school system.

wait dont you live in my area? what school is he in ??

 

[boomhauer]

What reason did the principal give for not wanting you to take him out?

First, she says it shows the children that you don't take take their education seriously. When she ever told us that, it took all my wife's strength to hold me down from walking out and transferring my step-son to another school.

Then she gave us that stuff about the school not getting the funding they need to operate if attendance falls beneath a certain point.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I would not hesitate for a second to take my Kindergarten daughter out of school; and I will be doing in it in March or April. No way can we afford to travel on Easter Vacation. My parents took me out of school without any permanent damage and I will do the same.

boomhauer At DD's catholic school - they have a 1/2 day K and a full day K, the full day was just started this year, all the parents who work outside of the house lobbied for it and we got it; do you think the K teacher makes ANY consession for us? NONE. It drives us all crazy, there 20 minute shows they do in the middle of the day, so I feel your pain.

 

[boomhauer]

I think as long as they're not missing anything important (more an issue for middle or high school) then it's fine. What I don't like is parents who claim it's for educational purposes. Please. You're not going to Disney for a learning experience. It's okay to admit you want to go on vacation.

I wouldn't DARE say that. It's not true. Granted, he may learn things there, but that's not the reason we're going.

 

[Beth76]

Granted, he may learn things there, but that's not the reason we're going.

Oh of course! We all learn things doing all of life's everyday things--even at Disney. But there's a group of people out there who like to claim Disney as an educational tool. There's a form letter somewhere on the net that you can download. I'm not kidding.

 

[boomhauer]

Our other issue of concern is my wife's ex-boyfriend (child's father.)

He's a miserable **** who gets off on making my wife's life miserable. We're afraid he'll make a stink about taking her son out of school (even though he cares nothing about education - dropped out when he was in the 7th grade), and take her to court.

 

[luvmy2sams]

Sorry that the principal is giving you such a hard time about your vacation plans. Too bad she's not taking the time to see beyond her financing issues because there's no way that missing a week of kindergarten is going to indicate to your child that you don't value his education. I hope that you're able to find a solution so you can go and enjoy your time together.

We took DD out of kindergarten last year for 5 days, and we're taking her out of her 2nd grade class next month for 7 days. Our school is filled with Disney nuts, and they're just as excited as we are (well, maybe not quite) about the surprise DD will be getting in a few weeks.

 

[JCJRSmith]

YOU ARE A HORRIBLE PARENT FOR EVEN CONSIDERING THIS!!!!!

Just thought I would get that out of the way before some knucklehead who really means it jumps in here and posts it. Now it won't have as much of an impact

I look at it this way. If you didn't take the child out of school to go to WDW, your child may learn some new fact that MAY influence his life say, next week. Take him to WDW, however, and you are building a family memory that will last a lifetime. We've done and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[Disneyrsh]

Oh, man, go.

They grow up so fast, and the time you spend in Disney is, in my opinion, about 10x as valuable as time spent with them anywhere else.

What else would you expect the principal to say, though?

If you take him at the end of may, the week before memorial day weekend, it's not crowded, the weather's hot and fabulous, and he's not missing anything in school because A, he's in KINDERGARTEN, and b. All the teachers are basically done for the year and just wrapping up, and your kid isn't going to miss much but field day and a bunch of end of school parties.

The one thing you want to be careful of is not scheduling a vacation during standardized testing for public schools. The principals go absolutely ape about having everyone there for them.

Oh yeah, I just wanted to add my parents took us out of school fairly regularly for big road trips down to disney, and I went to college at Carnegie Mellon despite my parent's 'lack of concern for education' as my principal put it, so hey, maybe Disney kept me from getting into Yale, but hey, I think it was WORTH it!

 

[Amy&Dan]

It is all about the funding. I have taken my kids out twice, last December and this past September. Our problem is that frequently my husband can't take vacation during the summer months. Also, we have gone with my parents a time or two, they are both in frail health and we try to go to Disney when its cool and not crowded. The teachers have always been fine and had no problem, its the administration that gets irritated. To the OP, do what works best for your family. In the end you and your wife are the parents and somebody can only infringe upon your parental control and judgement if you let them. Sometimes, the schools like to blow a little smoke to spook you a little, but in the end they won't do a thing about it. Also, that is so late in the school year by then they probably won't be so panicky about funding. I don't blame you for being very irritated when that principle told you this shows you aren't taking your son's education seriously. What a judgemental thing to say! My kids' principle said the same type of thing and I had to remind her of all the hours I spend volunteering at that school and how much I loved doing it. I don't do it for Brownie points but I also don't expect to be made to feel guilty and like a bad parent.

P.S. I am taking them out again to go on a Disney Cruise this coming September, it was dirt cheap and thats when the rest of the family can go (family reunion type thing). This will be the last time as my son will be in middle school (6th grade) and I know not to push it beyond this last trip. But this time I am making my husband go in and fill out the form, its his turn to get the frosty, judgemental speech!

 

[LaLa]

We took DS out for a week when he was in Kindergarten with no ill effects. The teacher was very excited about him going, and gave us his school work ahead of time so he could work on it a little at a time. I can tell you this...he will never mention or even think about the work that he had to make up or the days of school that he missed that year, but he still talks incessantly about that family vacation. So what if you make the principal mad. She'll get over it. Take that baby to Disney.

 

[kaylajr]

First off let me start by saying I have read nothing but the OP in this thread

Here is what we have done

we plan our trip
we tell the teachers
we get whatever homework the teachers want to give
we go to WDW
and have a good time

With the Job DH has we can NEVER go in the summer so
we go when we can
Yes school is important but so are the memories we are making as a Family

 

[declansdad]

just to play devil's advocate......


If funding for a school is based on attendance and attendance falls below a set criteria, the funding drops. Therefore the school is less able to provide a quality education for the children and as parents we all scream at the school (ie teachers, administration) about the poor quality of learning our children are recieving. The school gets upset and starts setting rigid rules to enforce attendance.

Hmmm...I think I can understand the frustration of the principal.



That being said do what works for your family but by the sounds of things, don't expect much sympathy from your principal.