Taking kids out of school...

[mrsap]

Hey everyone! We want Disney to be an annual trip for our family, but didn't really think much about my DD starting kindergarten this year. We are taking her out of school for 2 weeks in November (but since one of the weeks is over Thanksgiving, it's more like 7 1/2 days). We always go the same time every year, with Thanksgiving week being the pool/relaxing time and the week after our Park time. My DH thinks for future trips we should just cut out the second week, that way she would only miss 2 1/2 days of school - but I am very nervous about the Parks Thanksgiving week. Just wondering if there is anyone else who takes their kids out of school more than a week for Disney and find its a problem. Also, is thanksgiving week really that bad?! Thanks!

 

[Jenw83]

It really depends on your school district....I got a very nasty phone call from our school board last year when my daughter missed 5 days of school for a Disney trip. They basically told me that it is truancy and that we can go to jail for it. They're allowed to miss 5 days per semester, but they're not allowed to miss more than 3 in a row before the parents get reprimanded. She's a straight-A student (3rd grade) and I didn't think it would be a problem until it became an issue. We had to give a recorded statement saying that we would never pull her out of school for a vacation again--not just for that school year, but for the remainder of her school years.

That being said, we're going in October--they have a long weekend and we're taking an extra day after that, maybe two. Now we'll have two kids in school (K and 4th) and as long as we don't keep them out for three days, I think we'll get away with it.

I have never been during Thanksgiving, but we were there for Christmas in 09 (December 22-26) and the crowds were heavy but it was an enjoyable trip and we didn't feel like we stood in line the whole time. Of course, our kids were young then so we weren't riding the big rides that draw the most crowds.

 

[mrsap]

It really depends on your school district....I got a very nasty phone call from our school board last year when my daughter missed 5 days of school for a Disney trip. They basically told me that it is truancy and that we can go to jail for it. They're allowed to miss 5 days per semester, but they're not allowed to miss more than 3 in a row before the parents get reprimanded. She's a straight-A student (3rd grade) and I didn't think it would be a problem until it became an issue. We had to give a recorded statement saying that we would never pull her out of school for a vacation again--not just for that school year, but for the remainder of her school years.

That being said, we're going in October--they have a long weekend and we're taking an extra day after that, maybe two. Now we'll have two kids in school (K and 4th) and as long as we don't keep them out for three days, I think we'll get away with it.

I have never been during Thanksgiving, but we were there for Christmas in 09 (December 22-26) and the crowds were heavy but it was an enjoyable trip and we didn't feel like we stood in line the whole time. Of course, our kids were young then so we weren't riding the big rides that draw the most crowds.

OMG that's crazy!!! I don't know how our district is, but if my phone call to them was any indication.......I called a couple months ago, stating my DD will be starting Kindergarten in September and I was wondering how many days they are permitted to take off. She pretty much wouldn't give me a number and kept repeating over and over how they prefer you not take your child out of school at all unless they are sick!!!! So, it will be very interesting to say the least. Thanks for writing, guess we have to see how this fall goes and go from there!!

 

[mm1971]

Here we go on the school topic again. You'll get so many different answers from never take them out to take them out all the time. It really depends on the situation in my opinion.

I would say it depends on several factors.

1) The school district and policies. We took our kids out up to grade 6. Every year we got a letter from the school telling us that after a certain number of absences we would have to speak with social services. Most teachers we had were Ok with it. Some schools do not allow it at all and they have disciplinary policies to cover it.

2) Your child. For a child that struggles, it can be tough to catch up after missing time. For students that have no difficulties, it is a lot easier. At Kindergarten age, I wouldn't worry personally.

3) Your family beliefs. We decided long before DS got to 7th grade that we wouldn't take the kids out once they got to middle school. Neither struggle in school and would be fine staying caught up. Just our choice and DS requested we not take him out as well. Up until middle school we always took them out.

Vacations are very important to our family. So important that we have a separate bank account and budget specifically for vacations. We always went in the fall to WDW, but this year we are heading down in August right before school starts figuring a week of fun before they go will be appreciated.

In summary, check with the school and notify the teachers ahead of time. Then plan, book and go have a great time! In would think some days will be busier than others around the holiday. Check the crowd calendars and plan to hit the parks with the lowest crowds for those days. A busy WDW is better than working.

 

[Kristibo42]

We always took my daughter out of school.

 

[MSSANDRA]

OP..you do need to know what your district says and be wiling to deal with the consequences of taking them out. We took ours out most years K-8th grade with no issues. Our rule (self imposed) was not more than 5 days and not after middle school. Worked for us. I would not change anything this year, but after that I would wait till she got out for Thanksgiving (maybe that Wednesday) and stay through the next week. We always tell (never ask) the teacher at open house in the fall (mostly Dec-Jan) about trips and remind them about two weeks before. Only once did we even inform the administration and that was a non-issue as well. Have fun...Sounds like the perfect vacation.

Jen,
what would they have done if you refused to sign the letter, because we would not have signed it!!!! That is crazy. We are blessed that our district is ok with us taking them out but we would have to look at other choices if they were not. Just not ok with a school saying I can't take my child out when I choose.

 

[Mom2six]

I have always thought it was odd to have to get permission to take your own child on vacation. School systems have always thought they know what is best for your children. My second oldest daughter missed the school bus home in Kindergarten. Her sister was sobbing when she got off the bus because she did not know what happened to her sister. The bus takes over half hour to get from the school to our bus stop and it turns out my daughter was sitting in the classroom with her teacher - who knew she missed the bus home. When I called the office knew it too but they hadn't gotten around to calling me yet and when I complained they said "I was one of those parents." I took my children out of school and homeschooled them (mostly for other reasons involving their father's military career). I was really glad the next year my kids didn't go to that school anymore when a little kindergartener left the school in the middle of the day and walked all the way to her grandmother's house (there are no sidewalks along the busy street by our school) about a 45 min walk from the school and no one at the school noticed she was gone. I'm sure that is not the normal experience - but it makes me doubt this elementary school.

So now, I take my children to Disney World in September after the crowds have gone back to school. If my children were in school, I would hesitate to take them out because the school system can make such a big issue out of it. I read in another thread awhile back that the schools lose that days worth of money for your child, which is why they get so upset about a couple of days. The money adds up for them. Truthfully, in kindergarten and early elementary school everything they miss is something you can teach them without a problem.

 

[Paigesmom2013]

I would think about your child's personality and if she'd want to be gone from school for two whole weeks. Obviously you don't have to worry about missed work in kindergarten, so that's not an issue. But I was a little "school nerd" when I was a kid and would have bawled my eyes out to miss school for that long. I once missed a kindergarten school program with strep throat and my mom says I was devastated!

Some of these school districts sound really strict, but also as parents we do need to teach our kids to follow rules, even if they are dumb. JMO

 

[Mom2six]

I would think about your child's personality and if she'd want to be gone from school for two whole weeks. Obviously you don't have to worry about missed work in kindergarten, so that's not an issue. But I was a little "school nerd" when I was a kid and would have bawled my eyes out to miss school for that long. I once missed a kindergarten school program with strep throat and my mom says I was devastated!

I can definitely see a child being sad to miss a school play or program. Those things are very important to kids as is seeing their friends. On the other hand, my youngest daughter would sacrifice nearly any activity for a trip to WDW. She is obsessed with Disney and says she was to be an imagineer when she grows up so she can design attractions at Disney. LOL There is such a short frame of time that they truly experience a the magic of Disney as "real."

 

[bcbmommy]

It really depends on your school district....I got a very nasty phone call from our school board last year when my daughter missed 5 days of school for a Disney trip. They basically told me that it is truancy and that we can go to jail for it. They're allowed to miss 5 days per semester, but they're not allowed to miss more than 3 in a row before the parents get reprimanded. She's a straight-A student (3rd grade) and I didn't think it would be a problem until it became an issue. We had to give a recorded statement saying that we would never pull her out of school for a vacation again--not just for that school year, but for the remainder of her school years.

That being said, we're going in October--they have a long weekend and we're taking an extra day after that, maybe two. Now we'll have two kids in school (K and 4th) and as long as we don't keep them out for three days, I think we'll get away with it.

I have never been during Thanksgiving, but we were there for Christmas in 09 (December 22-26) and the crowds were heavy but it was an enjoyable trip and we didn't feel like we stood in line the whole time. Of course, our kids were young then so we weren't riding the big rides that draw the most crowds.

Ahh...this is one of the reasons I'm pulling all my children out of the public school system. I would not have signed anything or recorded anything. Your school district is bullying you, and you don't have to take it! IMO, a family vacation is more important and, dare I say, more educational than spending a week in a public school being herded around like cattle. Ugh.

 

[dvczerfs]

 

[Purplebaby1216]

I have twice now taken my daughter out of school for 14 days, in December, for trips to Hawaii. We were using a timeshare and could not change the dates so it just happened to be the 2 weeks PRIOR to the christmas vacation...so she literally would be out of school for 4 whole weeks with maybe a day or two of being back in school after our trip and before the schools break started....the school never said a word to me about it. I did inform the teacher during back to school night that this trip was booked and again a week before hand so I could get some work for her to do during christmas break once we were home from Hawaii (like anyone is going to do homework ON vacation!)

Now that my oldest is in 5th grade and my youngest is in Kindergarten, I will likely try to keep their vacations booked during the summers if I can.

 

[braysmommy]

My DS was in kindergarten last year and I pulled him out for 3 weeks for DCL Panama Canal cruise and Disneyland (can't get off the ship and not go to DL since we were so close)
He is in private school so they didn't mind and he did fine returning to school for the last week of classes.
This year I am pulling him out for 5 days in November for DW trip. When he gets older I will have to re-evaluate pulling him out but for now will every year. Private school makes this easier since they already have my money

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

We plan on taking my DD out of school when the time comes. Once she is older, we will of course re-evaluate based on how she is doing in school, her personality, etc.

Family and vacations are very important to us. We have had several family members taken from us far too early, I feel like life is short and spending time together and going on vacation is valuable to us. Education is important, too of course...but I do not think her missing a week of 2nd grade is setting her up for a life filled with failure. JMO.

 

[SEA333]

I work with my kids' schools and teachers on pretty much everything that has to do with my kids, and I plan all family trips around odd/non-busy times both because of crowds (which I hate) and the fact that it virtually takes the fear of booking plane tickets, then being told that either my or my husbands vacation time was denied due to too many people trying to take the same time off. Not to mention, airfare is cheaper when nobody wants to fly! For example, we are going to DW from Thurs November 14 - Monday Nov. 18th. Totally odd time.

I have no problem taking my kids out for a few days, or possibly even a week. I would hesitate taking them out for two weeks. Kindergarten might be OK, but after that, there is so much homework and missed time that it would be hard on them, me, and the teacher. And I always advocate for the "education doesn't only happen in the classroom" POV, so I really did think about this before I posted!

 

[letsgoreds]

Our public district considers family vacations excused absences. I inquired about filling out paperwork for a trip last January (DS7 in first grade) since we were including a half day of YES (educational) classes, and they said not to worry, the whole trip is excused

I wouldn't schedule an absence during the first couple of months (kids are learning the rules/making friends), last week before Christmas, or near the end of the year. We have had luck with early December (Thanksgiving is also a good idea), and late January. No big projects/testing/parties/shows/etc.

Last Jan, DS7 first grade teacher asked if she could come along...and shared that he would learn more on the trip! If DS7 were struggling at school, academically or socially, I would probably hesitate taking a week or more off.

Every kid, family and district is different. Do whatever is best for your family!

 

[MsMagical]

With our oldest, who is 19, we took him out of school numerous times for vacations. Our school district policy is to get a pre-arranged absence form filled out and filed so everyone knows where the child is. I actually forgot to do this before we went on a trip to WDW when he was in the 5th grade and got an email after the 3rd day expressing concern for safety and well being but not threats or anything like that. I was glad to be able to call and clear it up. In higher grades, each teacher had to sign it as well and our son had to get homework for each class for his absences.

After 19 years of dealing with school district administration, I am not shocked that a school district thinks they can tell you that you may not take kids out of school for vacations. I wish I was. Sigh. With my oldest it took me a long time to realize that schools don't get to parent me! Or my family, for that matter.

I have a 1.5 year old and a 4 year old and we'll pull them out of school for vacations as well.

 

[TempleOT]

My DD's school requires you to write a letter to the principal about the educational value of the trip, and then it's the principal's choice whether to excuse the absences. We are going in May for a week and she will be in first grade. I am not worried about her learning, as we will be sure to bring homework with us. My parents took me out of school for vacation several times...I guess they never worried since I was a good student.

 

[kim532]

We are lucky that our school district treats family vacations as excused, but as someone previously stated I don't think they have the input on this. My child and I get to decide what is best for them.

We will definitely take our kids out based upon their needs and our family needs.

It is a completely individual decision.

Kim

 

[Alexle2007]

I took DS6 out of 1st grade this past year for 7 days to go Jamaica. I just had to send a note at least 2 weeks before our trip, although I did it much earlier. The school policy is give th students any missed work upon returning and then they have the same # of days to complete it. Except his home room/math teacher gave us his math work before we left with a note to do as much or as little of it as we like. (She was not concerned since he was already doing 3rd grade level math in her class.) And I was not concerned since he had skipped ahead to 1st grade in Jan since kindergarten was not challenging enough. So the trip was kind his reward for doing well in school. We'll probably do the same thing this year in May plus a couple of days in the fall to go to Disney and Universal.