The school denied our vacation request

[Feralpeg]

The absence policy in the Orange county schools in Orlando is very strict. That is why my DD is attending a private school this year. She is a working actor. She missed days last year to attend auditions, etc. and they were counted as unexcused even though DD is a straight A student. I realize that the schools are under a lot of pressure, but they should examine each situation rather than making blanket policies.

My only concern if the OP were to still take her son out of school for vacation is that they would not allow him to make up the work and his grades would suffer.

 

[hugsquared]

Oh I just wish the school board/principal would tell me "no". We let the principal know in spring of last school year that we would be taking DD out for 5-6 days. School started today and we leave Sept 17th. We are reminding her 4th grade teacher that we will be away and are asking for work to take with us and if some can be made up upon return (we don't want to spend our entire vacation doing homework). The principal here has never batted an eye. My daughter, my choice, my right...period! Good luck and have a wonderful trip.

 

[deltachi8]

tell 'em to pound sand. its your family.

I agonized over the decision this year - going in May - and it was no big deal. We done some work each night as well as before we left. DS (9) didnt miss a beat - and he is in special education.

 

[kidzmom3]

I am quite honestly shocked at the reactions of the posters on this thread. Our school district is very strict on absences. It is my child that will suffer if they are out of school. Even if the teacher wanted to, no homework can be made up . . .period. They will not make you up packets, you cannot write a paper. If you miss a test, a quiz, its a zero for your child. If they miss an explanation of a concept, you can't just stay after and learn it. You as the parent must teach it, or find a tutor that can. All that said, I don't disagree with them.

School is my childs only job. They provide them with 3 major and 4 mini (long weekends) per school year. They receive 9 weeks off every summer. This is when vacations should be taken. I have a job. There is a boss, who can say "yes" or "no" to my vacation. The principal is your childs boss at school. In my personal opinion, taking a child out of school for a disney trip teaches them that rules are made to be broken, that they do not have to live up to there part in their education(the part that states they will try to be there all 180 days), that other people should go out of their way to accomodate you (by preparing homework and catching them up on concepts). I guess this is not a popular opinion, but I truly believe it.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Not everyone can go in the Summer. I know a couple of people who are not allowed to take vacation in the summer. And my ds is autistic and going in crowded times at WDW would be a bad idea for him. As it is, we are taking him next summer as late in August as possible.
Sorry, but I don't see why missing 5 days is such a huge issue. As long as the Parent understands the consequences, and the child is able to catch up with work. And, no I don't expect the school to provide a packet of homework. It's my decision to pull ds from school, so why should the teacher have extra work of creating assignments just for him. We created our own educational plan for the week, and followed some of the things being covered in class that week. But again, my situation is different since ds is autistic.

 

[Wigit12]

We live in a similar school district. We had to submit a summary of the "educational" value of our vacation which was pretty easy with AK and EPCOT. Luckily ours was approved, but I don't think a lot of people here understand what repercussions you will face if the principal chooses to make an example of you.
Our school board and principals are hard nosed and unforgiving. Extremely unreasonable if they choose. You will face a court hearing and fines if they chose to pursue it.
I would try talking to the principal first and resubmit your request fully explaining the educational value and definitely send a copy to the school board. It would be so much easier to have the approval then try to guess their reaction when you return. They really could ruin the school year for your child.

 

[emnrich]

DW and I both teach. DD6 will be going with us Sept 20-25. We will only miss 3 days of school.

If I get fired or the truancy officer calls, we'll all go spend a week at DW with the settlement.

 

[scrappystamper1]

I live in a small town which I guess comes with some advantages when it comes to this matter. Everyone in school knows when everyone else is going, and every teacher so far has said, I'll give your sons a project to do (most of the time a journal and then a presentation whe he gets back) but there are far more advantages to a FAMILY vacation. GO FOR IT!!!
They still have to make up the work but nobody goes to jail. My brother on the other hand lives in dallas, they do send parents to jail for taking kids out of school. The school board even said "and parents taking your kids to Disney world is NOT an excused absence!!!!!" I think in a big city or big school where they have alot of problems with truency there is NO gray area. In our small town my kids never miss school and being such a small town, everybody know everybody's business....
This school year ...2006 we will head to Florida again and be gone longer than april vacation. Even now, no concerns from school. Our bigger problem will be when sports start to get serious and the rules do get more strict if the boys want to "start" in the games, they cannot miss practices and games


my 2 cents.

Janet Paddock

 

[shelly3girls]

Not everyone can go in the Summer. I know a couple of people who are not allowed to take vacation in the summer.

I am not a fan of taking kids out of school but right now DDs are young so it is not a big deal. I know I will face these issues as the kids get older but I am in this situation. I have less than a week the whole summer that I can take off. My free weeks when I can vacation are during the school year so if we want to take a trip to WDW I am pretty much stuck taking the kids out. I can't imagine what I would do if the principal said we couldn't go. I have 4 weeks vacation but can't take the kids anywhere?? I would be really mad! We try to keep missed days to 5/year and so far the teachers have been very understanding. This is one of the many reasons DDs are in private school so that the principal is free to say, "Go have fun." without the repercusions that others are talking about.

 

[snowbunny]

I think with the advent of the no child left behind laws you will see more of this happening.

Bingo. The only people who are held accountable in this entire country, for anything, seem to be school administrators and teachers. The principal is concerned about not meeting learning results and losing funding. Which means property tax increases to make up the difference. Who screams the loudest when that happens? Local parents/property owners. Takes away from our vacation funds.

Take your kids out of school if you want, but look to blame our elected officials who allow such poor legislation to sap the life out of our schools, not the school staff who are trying to hold it all together. I am not a teacher but I tell my children, if the teacher is there to teach, you will be there to learn.

 

[Hsminnie]

I am quite honestly shocked at the reactions of the posters on this thread. Our school district is very strict on absences. It is my child that will suffer if they are out of school. snip I guess this is not a popular opinion, but I truly believe it.

While I certainly agree with your right to this opinion, please consider the following. One reason so many districts are 'cracking down' involves the new federal mandates. Another involves the HUGE number of parents who cannot be counted on to participate in their children's education in any way, especially making sure they attend. Neither issue involves concern for the actual 'education' of the child.

The 'rules', as in all aspects of our current society, are created, primarily, to accomodate the lowest common denominator. (sp?) As a long time homeschooler (and soon to be parent of 3 public schoolers) I know that the school administrators have quite a battle. Most are willing to understand that people are individuals and can be treated on a case by case basis. Others truly believe the NEA mantra that the only way to create an integrated, democratic society is to bring the children into the 'system' as early as possible and keep the parents at arms length. (No flames. See the NEA website for a frightening education of your own.)

My point being: Removing any child from school, even if they are to 'suffer' stigma and poor grades, will always be justified by a time of close intimacy with their family. (Of course, if you are someone who uses the UOG Dumbo or Die plan I take it all back!! )

To the OP: Accept NOTHING verbally. It is either written or considered unanswered. PLEASE send them another letter, with signed confirmation of receipt, asking very politely for a written response to your earlier letter. They have the right to respond as they will but if you keep it all on paper it will make you life easier if they push too hard. Also, as previously stated, make any further 'requests' in the form of notices. They are not in a position of true headship over your family.

Good Luck!!!

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Here in Lee County Fl they have gotten a little stricter than last year. Last year it use to be 10 "unexcused" per semester or 19 for the year meant credit denial in High School... this year they changed it to "excused or unexcused"! They also have implimented 6 unexcused tardies per quarter or twelve per semester in the same class will result in loss of credit for that class. That is nuts! Our high schools are so over crowded & they have like 4 minutes to get from class to class. My daughter's school is very large & if she had to go to her locker in between class or need I even mention the restroom .... she will be tardy. I can understand the "unexcused" absence, but to change it to include "excused" is saying.... don't get very sick or badly hurt, you will not get your credits! Last year my older daughter missed at least 7 in one semester because she was very sick. I also pulled her out to go to Disney & Universal (3 full days & 2 half days & not in a row)... the pull outs were towards the begining/middle of the semester, the illness was at the very end. If that were to happen this year, she would be denied her credit. Last year the illness (an excused) didn't count towards the limit per semester, now it will She is a senior this year & I would hate to see her denied credit. Boy would they hear me! I am a "laid" off school district employee & not very happy with them to begin with. They just topped my day by sending the "very bright Orange" memo home yesterday! They also added in that make up work will only be made when a student is out 5 days or more in a row & excused. So if she gets strep, stays home 3 days, they will not allow her to make up her work...or I should say they have the right to not allow her. If I know most of the teachers the way I think I do, they will still allow it.
If I were you, your child is young & not in High School, I would take him. They cannot but you behind bars & if they did.... we would all get to see your face on CNN or MSN. Then we can travel to your town & picket around the district's building! (mini DIS meet). As another poster mentioned, contact your local goverment officials. Email, write letters, make phone calls. Maybe even go to your local news station & ask them if they would like to do a story on how today's society is trying to stop that much needed family time bonding!!! I know our local paper likes to write stories about our district & not for the good of them either! Be sure to let us know how it turns out...good luck... and have fun on your trip!

 

[patsal]

Do what you feel is best and be prepared to deal with the consequences if there are any. Worse case you could home school for the year--so long as you get the 180 days of instruction in per school year no one cares if you do them on Saturday/Sunday/ when others have Christmas Break or whatever.

I teach and I don't advocate lying, but it is your child and you should do what you think is best for him/her. If there are consequesnces deal with them when you return. No Child Left Behind has really created a Big Brother atmosphere for all those involved in education directly or indirectly--parents, teachers, students, administrators.

 

[kidzmom3]

I am not attacking any one person, but I just have to ask. My kids go to school for 180 days out of 365. That leaves 185 days a year not in school. This figure makes the 180 days they do spend in school seem so small. Add into that figure, the hours missed for illness, half days or early dismissals. Is is really so unrealistic to expect that parents will send their children to school for those 180 days (unless they are ill or injured)? Many americans complain about the schools, but when the school tries to have you follow the rules and have the children attend the classes. Many parents cry foul and state that these are "their" children and they will decide what is best. And Disney is not really educational. I know that the family time is priceless. I love to spend time with my family too. The last time we went to WDW it was with 12 family members and it was a joy. But realistically, there is minimal "learning" of the type that would be provided in schools. Yes, they would have learning experiences, but it will not be an 6.5 hour experience like school is.

 

[Hsminnie]

but it will be an 6.5 hour experience like school is.

They are in the building for that, not learning. It is closer to 2 hours. And yes, half of my child's time spent away from her family is a lot to ask.

 

[disney1990]

Well, I live in the State of Maryland. In our county, children that miss school cannot make up anything that they miss. Late homework, reports, projects will not be accepted when you return. Tests and quizes cannot be made up. The student will get a "zero" for everything that they miss -- no exceptions.

You put a lot of pressure on you child to have to make up those "zeroes" that they receive.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Greetings from the "boat full of parents being reported to the truant office"!

We are taking DS out for 4 days in October. He starts 4th grade on Monday. He is an A/B student and missed three days the entire year last year, two of those were for our January Disney trip. If you have more than 3 unexcused absences in one month or more than 10 over the entire year you are truant. Being that DS is a minor I sincerely HOPE the district will come after me. If they prosecute me I will owe up to $500 and have to do community service.

I casually mentioned to the teacher at orientation the other night that we will be "gone" for four days and I want to get DS's work so he won't be behind when he returns. She just said to remind her a few days ahead. I think I won't mention exactly what we are doing, and in my letter I will say something vague like "Please excuse DS, we were out of state on family business".

I am a little nervous about the off chance of "being made an example" but I work for a terrific attorney. She thinks it is a ridiculous policy and she has already promised to defend me if they prosecute, so we're going to Disney World! From a recent news story there are kids in middle school missing 45-60 days of school IN A SINGLE YEAR and the parents don't know or don't care or have given up. I hope they have bigger fish to fry than a parent who takes a child on a family vacation for 4 days.

 

[gigi1313]

i know there are a zillion posts between the first and my response and i'll admit i did not read all the way thru... and while i personally won't take my kids out of school for vacation, i do understand why people do it... and support their decisions as parents to make those choices that work best for their family...

that being said... would you consider filing the necessary petition to homeschool your child a few days before the vacation... once you return, re-admit your child to school, saying that you've decided against homeschooling... it is perfectly leagal... and while it is a lot of paperwork and a bit of a pita, it's worth it if you don't want to cancel your vacation...

another option would be to get a dr's note for an ailment that does not exist...that could prove to be more difficult!

 

[csaribay]

I used to work as a Technology educator for the Hawaii Department of Education, and here, while it varies from school to school, vacations are generally discouraged during the school year. Some schools choose to put an absenteeism cap while most others apply a homework policy. As a rule of thumb, the higher the grade level, the more severe any possible repercussions may be.

At the middle school I was working at, family vacations were allowed during the school term, albeit unexcused. Teachers have no obligation to provide makeup work for any unexcused absentee days, thus, including family vacations. This isn't to say that teachers usually did not provide makeup work, as most would based on student merit.

At the high school located within the same district, the absenteeism cap strategy is used, where if you were to miss a particular class seven times, unexcused, you would fail the class. This policy actually allowed a student to miss about two weeks of class, simply because you would never usually be attending every class- every day. Excuses can be dealt at the school's/district's discretion. If an effort to make such a trip beneficial to the student's education is made, generally an exception will be made, and the absence of a student becomes excused for the day he or she misses.

My suggestion is to prepare another presentation for the principal, outlining several educational opportunities for your kids during the trip. AK and Epcot provide wonderful opportunities for such, especially in the lower grade levels. If the principal does not want to hear it, take it to your school board. I'm more than willing to bet one will take it.

Another strategy that you could try is to homeschool your children for the period of your vacation. Most districts make this an easy process, simply by signing a single form. Upon your return, inform the school that your intent to homeschool your children was all for not, and to have them be put back on the rolls. I wouldn't suggest this except in a worst case scenario, but it should do the trick.

In any case, I would still pull your kids and head down to WDW, so long as it wouldn't be entirely detrimental to their education. The school system and this principal you have to deal with are not the stewards of your children, you and your spouse alone are.

If they persist, contact an attorney. No school has jurisdiction over a child.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

DW and I both teach. DD6 will be going with us Sept 20-25. We will only miss 3 days of school.

If I get fired or the truancy officer calls, we'll all go spend a week at DW with the settlement.

I like that one