Taking Kids out of School

[hrh_disney_queen]

Oh boy is this thread getting my ire up, and it has nothing to do with people choosing to take their kids out of school or not.

Parents should be free to choose what is best for their child, and act accordingly. Too often we lose site of the fact that we are consumers of education. Whether paying tuition or taxes, we are paying schools to provide us a service - to teach our children. They exist to serve us.

So when a parent asks a teacher for make-up work in advance (with reasonable warning, of course), who is the teacher to decide what the parent can and can not do? That is pretty nervy! It is up to the parent and student to decide what the student can handle, and be willing to take a bad grade if it is earned (as opposed to just being used as a penalty for missing school).

Further, regarding the poster who had the school's warning of "unexcused" absences; Who in the world granted the school the authority to decide what is an acceptable or unacceptable absence? If I choose to take my kids out of school for a trip to attend to family business, why is okay to go on a trip out of town for grandpa's funeral, but not a family reunion at WDW?

We are handing waaayyyyy too much authority over to our schools.

Okay, I'll put the soapbox away now .

ITA!! And your second paragraph has reminded me of something that I forget all too often. The schools do indeed, work for me. I am trying very hard to be an advcate for my child now, instead of bowing down to everything the schools try to dish out.

Regarding the policies for unexcused absences, this is part of the NCLB program. It is my understanding that the criteria for "unexcused" is left up to the school district, or possibly at the state level, and THAT authority was granted by the president... That is why there are so many different attitudes that people are posting about on this subject, they are all in different states that pose their own criteria. Of course, these are public schools in question, private schools can do whatever they want. It gets my ire up, too. I should be better able to access my child's capability of "recovering" from a 2,3,5 day absence better than the school system. Even some input from the teacher would be OK...(ex..."Jimmy is really struggling in math and reading..you may want to consider that when you decide to take him out during this crucial period.") but this seems to be another way for the government to try to scrutinize everyone for the actions of a few lazy, uncaring parents.

I agree that with enough advance notice, the teacher should be able to supply you with assignments to do to keep up. I am avoiding taking my DS7 out on Fridays, because that is when he has his spelling and math tests. Since I am doing that much, she should be willing to give us what we need to keep up. My goodness, kids are out for 2-3 days at a time for colds or flu, what's the difference??? We notified the teacher we had for 1st grade the second week of school that we would miss 2 days in October. She mumbled something, I didn't care or listen. Then a week before, I went in and asked if there were any assignments that she could give him to keep up with, and she said something about not knowing what they were going to be doing next week.!!!???? Anyway, she ended up giving him a couple of extra pages of math to do with no notice of when to hand them in...I do think it would be better to have the assignments in time to have them done before we leave. I can't imagine doing anything other than having fun while at WDW.


I think that this thread has just about convinced me that we will be ok to take 2 days off from school instead of 1...You guys are a fiesty bunch!!

Thanks!

 

[PJV57]

We can't stand heat or crowds, ... anyone else feel guilty or have any trouble with doing this?

No--I don't feel guilty but I did give alot of thought about when would be the best time to take my daughter out of high school (she's a junior). I decided to go in the fall because of the great weather, low crowds. Then I decided to plan around a holiday (Veteran's Day). She'll be missing 2 days of school and it will be during the first week of a new grading period so all in all, the timing will be as good as it can. She'll notify her teachers of her absence to get any work in advance if she can. And my daughter knows she must be responsible about making up any missed work.

Our last trip to Disney was late August. It was way too hot and humid. We said we'd never go back again in the summer. As my daughter gets older, it does get more difficult to plan trips together, what with school, summer jobs, mission trips with youth groups, etc.

Hope you have a great time! We can't wait for our trip!

 

[disneyjunkie]

Two posters seem to be upset because of the various policies some schools have in place. If you (general) don't want to follow the guidelines set by the school/school system, why bother to enroll your kids? Why not just homeschool? That way you're free to do as you please.

How can a school function if parents are free to pick which policies/guidelines they will follow?

My son's school will not give work in advance if he misses school for a family vacation. They can't make up missed class work. All homework must be turned in the day the child returns to school. If it isn't they'll get a zero or it will be reduced by 50%, depending on the teacher.

My son and I are going to Disney during Spring/Easter break. He'll miss the last day of school. I knew the policy when I purchased the tickets. We made the choice to start our vacation early, so we'll have to deal with the consequences of that choice.

I may like the policy, but I believe the school has every right to set guidelines that will allow the school to run smoothly.

 

[vatmark]

I'm taking my 2nd grader and 4th grader out of school for 4 days. I feel very guilty about it and it was a hard decision to make. This is not something that we do all the time. We are spending a lot of money on this vacation and I wanted to go at a time where it wasn't blistering hot and also didn't want to spend most of the vacation standing in lines. My children are excellent students who always do homework and assignments on time.

I don't know how the teachers are going to react. We are leaving Oct. 29th and I will be sending in a note to go to both teachers and explain that the kids will be out of school and if possible could they give some of the assignments before we leave. My kids will not be doing the assignments while on vacation but we will be back on a friday and they would have the weekend to finish them before going back to school.

The way I see it...a year from now it won't really matter that they missed school 4 days. It will not show up on their highschool transcripts. My kids know the importance of school and have worked hard to do good. If the teachers are going to deduct points for them being out then so be it.

I love to have year round school. It would give different times to be able to take vacations and not have that long summer break where the kids forget what they learned.

Annie

 

[zachnlucy]

We're taking ours out next April for a week (twins 4th grade and a 5th grader). I've already spoken with their teachers and they've agreed to send work with them so that when we return and they turn in their work, there will be nothing else to make up.

My kids have never been to WDW, and I can't handle the Florida summers anymore unless I'm in a pool

 

[DisneyDotty]

Further, regarding the poster who had the school's warning of "unexcused" absences; Who in the world granted the school the authority to decide what is an acceptable or unacceptable absence?

Typically it is the school board, elected by the registered voters in the district, who give this authority. So ultimately, it is you and I and everyone else who posted who makes this decision. Granted, the federal and state governments do have say over how many days students must attend, etc. But the local board decides what is excused and unexcused.
So talk to your school board if you want to see changes.

 

[waltdisneyworlddreamer]

The way I see it...a year from now it won't really matter that they missed school 4 days. It will not show up on their highschool transcripts. My kids know the importance of school and have worked hard to do good. If the teachers are going to deduct points for them being out then so be it.

Annie

Well said!! This is the thread that I really needed to see! I have been so stressing out the last couple of weeks over our Nov. trip, almost to the point of cancelling!!! Imagine that! My child will be missing 4 days of school and I am a teacher and will be missing with him. The last trip we had was July, hot and miserable. We really just wanted to try to go at a great time and really enjoy WDW!! I have not told his teacher yet, although he may have just from the impending excitement! It is so true that it what this poster said!!! It really won't matter that they missed a few days of school, but the memories of this vacation will last a lifetime. My kids know the importance of school, but I also want them to know the importance of family. The time that we have with our children is so short and precious that we should take advantage of every moment. A couple of missed assignments don't compare to the experiences that we will share together.

 

[eeyore45]

Well, aside from that the teacher already knows the lessons and didn't miss out on anything by taking two days of personal leave (which could easily have been for minor surgery or other personal reasons), what's your objection to your daughter going on vacation without having to worry about catching up to the class when she gets back? Her teacher's willing to have the work ready for her in advance, I don't see the problem with your daughter completing it in advance. Am I missing something?

Well I guess you had to hear her attitude... and she talked to the class about her vacation, which is fine, just dont give ME attitude about "our" vacation...

as for giving the work in advance - that would be fine, except she didnt communicate the work - she left a voice message saying, do the report in advance - so while the rest of the class will have a week to do it, she wants dd to have it done in 2 days, again, its her perogative, and us to decide to do it or not (DD is very perfectionist motivated, and does reports on her own, then gets the teacher to proof them, and then redoes them)

Bottom line, is we'll get the work done best as we can. I called the principal and asked for a meeting due to the fact of the "attitude", and what I feel is a "communication" situation/problem. Just knowing the 3rd grade curriculumn at this school, and knowing the pace of the school, its no big deal, its the teacher wanting to "put me in my place" and "punish" my dd for it - which I refuse to allow, if that means putting her in a lower reading group or not...

bottom line, communicate without attitude (and that goes for me!!) and if I have to try and communicate all the ugliness in our personal life to get her to see a side I'd rather not show, than maybe I will, but I shouldnt have to for 3 days... like other posters have said, my ds missed 3 weeks of High School due to mono, and doesnt have attitude or makeup work like this!! (and no I get the difference between "illlness and "vacation" but absence is absence!!)

C'est la vie
(thanks hrh!!)

 

[nigel-bigel]

Typically it is the school board, elected by the registered voters in the district, who give this authority. So ultimately, it is you and I and everyone else who posted who makes this decision.

You are absolutley correct! My DH is fond of saying that "People get the government they deserve", and in most cases he is right. (But why do
I have to get the government you deserve? )

My beef is that while people realize they are consumers of public services such as public safety or garbage collection, they seem all to happy to hand over parenting decisions and responsibilies to the schools. Therefore, they let the schools make the rules and call the shots.

I think that is a very scary thing to do, with ramifications that reach well beyond issues of family vacation.

 

[nigel-bigel]

Well said!! My kids know the importance of school, but I also want them to know the importance of family. The time that we have with our children is so short and precious that we should take advantage of every moment. A couple of missed assignments don't compare to the experiences that we will share together.

Yes yes yes! Perfectly said! Thank you...

 

[bigmac5]

Glad I live in Ontario where the teachers and the school system recognize that quality family time is very important and realize that it can't always be taken when school is out. My son, in Gr. 9, came home with the school hand book and the only thing they request is that you try to arrange holidays so that they don't interfere with exams. A very reasonable request. That said my boys in the upper grades don't want to be taken out of school. That is why we went in the heat of Aug/Sept and had a magical time.

 

[nigel-bigel]

Glad I live in Ontario where the teachers and the school system recognize that quality family time is very important and realize that it can't always be taken when school is out.

Nice thinking, Orlando!

This is probably due in part to Orlando's economy being so dependent on tourism. How can they expect families to vacation during the school year if they discourage it themselves?

Whatever the motivation, I agree!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Two posters seem to be upset because of the various policies some schools have in place. If you (general) don't want to follow the guidelines set by the school/school system, why bother to enroll your kids? Why not just homeschool? That way you're free to do as you please.

How can a school function if parents are free to pick which policies/guidelines they will follow?

My son's school will not give work in advance if he misses school for a family vacation. They can't make up missed class work. All homework must be turned in the day the child returns to school. If it isn't they'll get a zero or it will be reduced by 50%, depending on the teacher.

My son and I are going to Disney during Spring/Easter break. He'll miss the last day of school. I knew the policy when I purchased the tickets. We made the choice to start our vacation early, so we'll have to deal with the consequences of that choice.

I may like the policy, but I believe the school has every right to set guidelines that will allow the school to run smoothly.

I guess I am one of those posters you referred to, so I guess I should start by saying that of course I am in favor of schools running themselves in a way that works best for all concerned. 99% of the time I am a rule following, agreeable parent who is very greatful for the public school system-with all it's warts. But when a school board tells me that I will have to meet with DSS if my child misses three days in a row for what they consider (no one asked me for my input about that!) to be truancy-the same way that if some crack head can't get out of bed for three days to get her kids ready for school, that is a little ridiculous. Home schooling is not an option, I would never presume to do a better job at teaching than someone who got a degree to do so. I think that public school teachers are the most thankless jobs there are. But this kind of rigidity is just silly. Especially when it seems to vary so much from district to district.

There is no way that I am going on my family vacation to stand in 2 hour lines...to me that is just plain insanity, and certainly not condusive to family closeness. We would kill each other after the first ride!! I feel very fortunate that I live close enough to only have to take them out for 1 or 2 days, I couldn't do it for more. Not because of some policy, but because for my sons, I know that more time out could be difficult for them to catch up. And I feel THAT is the way it should be. I know my kids better that the folks on the school board. it should be my decision.


The soap box is now free for occupancy.

 

[DVC-Don]

We took our 2 kids out of school every year in January for a WDW vacation, up until the first one hit middle school. Now we go in late August as they would have had such a hard time dealing with 5 or 6 teachers and catching up. Our district banned giving out homework in advance several years ago.

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

I have taken my twins out of school since they were in preschool for WDW. In Kindergarten they missed 4 days and I was a nervous wreck about letting the teachers know until I found out that there were several families in both of their classes that were taking their kids out for 4-6 weeks to go visit their families in Mexico (these were not family emergencies-just trips to visit ). After that I thought they can send DCFS to my door and we'll have a long talk about what is appropriate excused absences. I took my kids out for 3 days in 1st grade and will take them out for 5 days this year in 2nd grade. In K-my kid's school was sponsering a young authors contest and I had my twins each write their own stories as extra work (DD was able to write her own story, and DS told me his story, I wrote it down and had DS rewrite it in his own handwriting). In 1st grade-I made both of my kids read 2 books each and write 2 book reports each as extra work. This year since we are going on DCL I had my kids pick something related to the cruise and research and write reports. DD just finished hers and it was on sea creatures-dolphins, green sea turtles and stingrays. DS is half done with his and he's doing whale sharks and sword fish. My kids weren't required to do any of these projects-I wanted to show them and their teachers and school that I feel education is important and family time is important. I've already notified their teachers that we're going and they both seemed fine with it. I'm going to send notes Monday because that's 1 month befoer our trip to remind them and also send a note to the principal to ask that these be considered excused absences. I'll send reminder notes 1 week before and notify the office that my kids will be gone and that I won't be calling in each day. I've told the teachers that they can send the makeup work before or after-whichever is more convenient for them. DS gets mostly A's and 1-2 B's, DD not only gets straight A's, but most of them are 100%, so I know my kids are smart and capable of making up the work and catching up in class. We even plan on taking them out Dec 2006 for a week to take my parents on DCL for their 47th anniversary . Maybe when my kids get older and it starts getting hard to make up the work, we'll consider not taking them out of school anymore. Until then, life's too short and my babies are growing up too fast and DH and I are the only ones who can create the memories and family bond that my children will carry with them for a lifetime.

 

[Pedler]

But when a school board tells me that I will have to meet with DSS if my child misses three days in a row for what they consider (no one asked me for my input about that!) to be truancy-the same way that if some crack head can't get out of bed for three days to get her kids ready for school, that is a little ridiculous. .

The question is how does the school district write a rule that can be followed uniformly that differentiates between yourself and the "some crack head can't get out of bed for three days to get her kids ready for school". What side do they error on? Or should the school district just not be concerned with unexcused absences at all?

Not attacking just asking.

BTW for those of you that are looking for better analogies than comparing absent time for a vacation at WDW to illness or death in the family (Let's face it, that argument doesn't go very far.) Take a look at the allowed absences for school sanctioned activies such as chorus, band, sports ect. Our son last year in 3rd grade missed the equivalent of 2 days for chorus alone. This year if we let him do chorus and band it would be 3.5 days. I think that type of comparision works better. (Don't get me started on these things at the high school level!)

Just my 0.02.

 

[LightBurnsBlue]

I'm a college student now, and I did fine leaving school for 3-4 days to go to Disney. However, I was a good student, did all my assigned homework, and made sure to make up quizzes and test. If you have a high school student like this, a week is not going to make or break his or her semester grades. BUT...if you have a student like my sister (not great at doing homework, tends to miss a lot of school) a 3-4 day trip could wreck a semester if they're not responible. For example, my sister missed a week of school sophomore year when she had mono, and it threw off her whole semester because she didn't make up some of her tests. For this reason, she is not coming with on my birthday trip to disney (she actually agreed to this...b/c she wants to get her grades on track for college!). So...as long as you have a responsible high schooler, take them out!

 

[Kimmielee]

I am taking DS (6) out of school for the entire week AFTER our schools Easter vacation. I originally was trying to go with the vacation schedule the school offers, but I am a single Mom, no child support coming in... (long story, don't ask) that can "afford" Disney but can't "afford" the extra high prices that are charged during the holidays and summers.

I originally booked a Disney Cruise, with a two night stay at POFQ - with my son missing just one day of school. This cruise was the week of Easter. As I began planning and thinking.... and planning some more... I kept going back to the fact that the price of my cruise was $1989 MORE that week vs the week after. Almost a full $2K!!

I emailed his teacher ... discussed the issue and asked for her honest opinion, which I vowed to respect. .

So, she agreed to provide work ahead of time (we are talking Kindergarten) and he will keep a photo journal to show his class.

Now, we are staying at POFQ for 4 nights, doing the 7 night cruise and then a final night back at POFQ... with a town car taking us both ways for each leg of our trip and my total is still less than the cruise would have been had I kept it during the week of Easter.

My son's teacher told me her opinion was not the "popular" opinion in our school district but she totally understood the motivation and now... our trip is 13 days long... and will be the trip of a lifetime for us!

As long as prices are so much higher during the school vacations and summer, I'll continue to take my son out of school. With that said, if he ever shows signs that he can't handle it... we run into an uncooperative teacher or our district puts out a mandate... then I'll bite the bullet and pay the extra $$$.

 

[WaltD4Me]

The question is how does the school district write a rule that can be followed uniformly that differentiates between yourself and the "some crack head can't get out of bed for three days to get her kids ready for school". What side do they error on? Or should the school district just not be concerned with unexcused absences at all?

I don't think anyone is saying the school should be unconcernced about all unexcused absences at all. I think what most are saying is, that the school needs to take the time to look at each situation and then decide what is okay and what isn't. Why does it have to be a "rule" - why can't it be decided depending on the school, the family and the situation? Why can't the rule be, like someone said theirs is, that you have to come in and discuss it?
That seems reasonable to me. Why should other families suffer because of the "crackheads?" I'm sure crackheads don't plan weeks in advance and go in and speak to teachers about their kid's making up homework and assignments when they are going stay in bed for the 3 days.

 

[nigel-bigel]

BTW for those of you that are looking for better analogies than comparing absent time for a vacation at WDW to illness or death in the family (Let's face it, that argument doesn't go very far.)

Well, I'm the one that made that analogy, and I still feel it holds water.

No school is going to argue with a family that takes a student out of town for a death in the family. The child would of course be allowed to go to pay their respects to the relative and grieve with their family.

Should only sad occasions be accepted? Because no one dies on vacation does that mean it should wait? One could argue that taking a special trip with grandparents while they are still alive is more important than attending funerals once they are gone.