To all school age parents

[dclwdwlover]

Re: CPS: I'm sorry, but sometimes the 'system' gets ridiculous. They should spend more time protecting children from actual abuse than spending time & money on violating parents who want to take their children on a trip that will not only be educational, but also a bonding, memorable time for the family. That's so important.

I've always pulled my kids out during the school year, as did my parents. We book the year prior, and as you can't tell how the child will be doing the following year in school, we don't use that as the basis for whether we go or not. We make sure they are on track before we leave, communicate with their teachers about the trip beginning a full month before we go, & insist that the kids do their utmost to stay on track, complete all work, go for help before & after, if needed, etc.

One year we were told that it would be considered an illegal absence, so we just stopped notifying the school ahead of time (we only notify the teachers now) & just give an excuse afterward. When they were in private school (Montessori) the school encouraged it, but the public schools do not. The teachers do, just not the school system.

We all prefer to go in the 'winter' months as places are not that crowded & the weather is not as hot. We all enjoy our time together that much more. I feel that whether it's cruising or WDW or KSC, or whatever, it is still a learning experience & very important to helping my child(ren) become well-rounded.

It was mentioned in a post that kids shouldn't get the wrong message about missing school, but I don't think that being 'in a classroom' is the only way to learn. Experiencing different places & things is just as important. I think it is also important to communicate to the kids that frivolous absences (senior skip day, shopping, 'didn't feel like going', etc.) are unacceptable.

 

[LAMPSKIES]

Just reading these posts there seem to be at lest two constants...........1) We all seem to like to vacation together.......as a family. Basic "family value" 2) They all seem to be good "kids" and get good grades.........hmmmmm do you think that that is a coincidence?

 

[Skywalker]

Phyllisi,

We are in the same position. Our son is in kindergarten this year and we took him out in January for vacation. Next January, we will take him out again (grade one this time) and our second son (who will be in kindergarten) as well. Put me firmly in the camp of "it's your family, do what's best for you!!". We had a great trip and I think January is our favourite month to travel. Provided our boys are able to continue to do well in school as they get older, I do not foresee a problem with taking them out again. In the larger scheme of things, a week off out of the year is nothing earth-shattering.

To paraphrase a commercial...

Cost of Vacation: $5679.00
Days of School Missed: 8
Family Memories: Priceless

 

[aprilgail2]

Right now my daughter is only in preschool but I have every intention of taking her out for at least a week every spring for a trip. I actually asked at the school today when I was picking her up from pre-k at the elementary school about their policy on missed days and they told me "If they miss 30 days in school year they have the option to hold them back if they don't think they are up to the other kids in their grade". I then said I was taking her out next year for 2 weeks for a trip and they told me just let them know in advance so they could get some work together for her.....easier than I thought! On the cruise we are going on Saturday we are taking my god daughter out of high school for the week, hopefully she told the teachers today so they could get her work together for her!

 

[DISNEYFAMILYOFFOUR]

We will be also on the December 4th Western, then adding four nights at AKL. In total (flying in day before), our DD6 & DS5 (when we go) will be missing a total of nine days of school.

I totally agree with everything LAMPSKIES, and many others, has posted on this one.

Everyone enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, our children are only young once and the years go by extremely fast.

 

[tecdavidt]

We just had the visit with the Junior High that our daughter will attend next year, she will be in 7th grade. The principle made it clear he opposed taking children out of school for vacations. Quote "we have only a limited number of days to teach your child and every day is vital. I know that I will be asked and I will not say no but please think about taking your trips during school vacation times."

Well, we have four children. Three in college, with the oldest graduating Friday and the other two finishing their sophomore year. Pulling a child out of school for a vacation is not going to harm the child one bit. The key is get the homework and make sure that the child finishes all the work before returning to school. The other key is: don't do it often as in every semester or even every other month. That would interfere with the education. *I also remember the teacher who insisted that orthodontic appointments be made at times that did not interfere with her class time with your child, that made me laugh. You go when the doctor can see the child.

After listening to this principle talk and express his opinion I turned to my husband and informed him, well, she will miss two days right after Christmas break and that is just too bad for him. Those two days will not scar her. We will be on the Magic for a surprise cruise that she will open Christmas morning.

Lucky for us our state is not one with rigid requirements. If it was, I know my husband would be contesting the law. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about that issue. For others who do, you have my sympathy.
Kathy

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

Well this post certainly relieve DW's worries. We will be taking DD8 out of school for 6 days this fall for our 7 day eastern. She will be in the 3rd grade and hopefully her teacher, who will be notified well in advance, will be cool with it. I doubt if very many other kids she goes to school with have ever gotten to experience the caribbean. And it was a great idea to pick up a gift for the teacher. We'll definetly have to remember that one. DW was also relieved to find out that there are so many other parents who agree that the experience is well worth the lost school days.

 

[cats mom]

I certainly would not worry about it in the elementary grades as long as the child is doing well - but that's just me.

High school is a whole other story - at least for us.

DD is in dual enrollment classes. Missing too many days will lose her college credit.

We also went to a meeting for parents of kids interested in trying out for athletic teams the other night.
Most of them tell you right up front that if your child misses a game/performance for a family vacation (cruises were specifically cited) it is grounds for dismissal from the team.

Guess we're paying for peak season rates

We want to cruise out of CA. and my guess is those will ALL be peak rates anyway - al least they will not interfere with school

 

[LAMPSKIES]

Disneyfamilyoffour........we'll see ya there.....the school sent us a letter after our sailing last Dec. saying something to the effect of missed days of school. We took them to Las Vegas in Oct for 3 days for a wedding the stood up in and the 7 days for our cruise. I simply called the school and asked if my "A student" in Honors math, english etc. was having a problem making up the schooling. The answer was "Well no, she seems to be carrying an A average". So I asked "what is the problem". I got some political..."we have to have so many students, so many days to recieve the proper funding from the state....blah, blah, blah.....". I told them that they need to be more concerned with the kids that take days off because they haven't done projects due. That was the end of that conversation.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

As a teacher I only wish I could travel at off-peak times! That would entail doing days without pay, which would mean I couldn't afford it!
On the other hand, while I am all for family vacations, I think more than one week a year is a bit much. A couple of posters seemed to think all we have is spitballs etc., but right now my seniors are doing a group project and every day someone misses means the group suffers. If I give them a week to do an essay and it's the week that child is gone, he has to do the whole thing on his own. Two of my juniors missed the test review Friday and did horribly on the test Monday (yes I made them take it because they knew about it before Friday).
Another thing is time of year. May is BAD at almost any grade level. I have a girl out all next week for vacation, and then her last day (she's a senior) is May 21--5 days after she returns. She'll miss a lot of wrap-up stuff in all of her classes. My own 6th grader has major projects cooking right now in reading, English and history--one is with 2 other girls so if she missed, again, the whole group would suffer. Exam review is at the end of the month for HSas well. You also should avoid state testing times as these are very hard to make up and the school's state rating is affected by kids who don't take it.
My own son in K has missed 8 days for various flu bugs and injuries, and I'm mortified--my older two have never missed even close to that much. They normally top out at 2 or 3 days out. I took them out for 2 days for December WDW trips in 01 and 02 (I used all my personal days to do it) but made sure they worked in the room each night.
The key is good parenting as someone else has noted. If you are already in good communication with the school and your child does well, no one is going to call the state dept. You will probably choose a good time and be diligent about talking to the teachers. If you say "to heck with them", leave, and tell them when you RETURN that you went on vacation (believe me that has happened--"where were you last week?" "Myrtle Beach") the cooperation level will plummet.
Robin M.

 

[Drcell01]

Since my daughter was of school age we have taken her out of school from one to two weeks each year for our vacation to WDW. We have always provided the school with advance notice of our intentions. Upon our return home we always receive a letter from the principal reminding us that these missed days are an ILLEGAL ABSENSE. Nothing has ever come of this situation and I hope things stay that way going forward. Also, the teachers have NEVER provided her with any assignments in advance of vacation, even with advance notice. She always has received the missed assignments upon her return (a very dissapointing situation).

I say this because we are planning on going on the 14 day repositioning cruise from FL to CA in May of next year. I am looking at this as a "once in a lifetime" opportunity for my daughter to experience a trip such as this. Not many people get to sail around the southern part of the northern hemisphere, through the panama canal, and around the southern part of Mexico to CA. In my mind the educational value of such a trip outways the two weeks that she will miss from school. The weeks she will be away are usually filled with little learning (May 14th to 28th, 2005). NY schools usually go to late June with finals the 2nd and third weeks of June. My daughter has always had exceptional grades and I don't think that missing this time would change the outcome of her grades.

Here's to another Illegal Absense letter and an experience that will last a lifetime.

 

[mobetsy]

The problem for us was not the school being upset about ds9 missing 6 days of 3rd grade, it was the chaos in our household caused by trying to get him to catch up on missed work afterward. I tried very hard to get assignments a few weeks in advance from his teacher, so he could do some of it before we left (none during), but I wasn't successful (even though she was very supportive of our trip), so it all awaited him upon our return. He kept a simple journal on the trip (like pulling teeth) and did a presentation for his class when he came back (he loved that), but he had a huge stack of make-up work and it was a nightmare to get through it. I wouldn't hesitate to take out a child about 2nd grade or younger, but after that I think it really depends on how your child might react to the catching up process. My younger ds probably wouldn't have nearly as much difficulty, so I know every child is different.

 

[tchrmom]

As a first grade teacher myself, I had NO problem pulling myself and my children, ages 12 and 8 out of school in October to do a 7 day cruise. I wrote the school a note 1 month prior to departure, and told them our plans. I came up with several activities that we would work on while away. Both children created a journal, to document what happened each day. We also purchased a world map, and located where cast/crew memebers were from. There was also an expense/budget report for each child. Both schools accepted these activities in place of the regular work that was missed. My daugher even wrote a pesuasive speech on "Why You should Take A Disney Cruise". (she took first place in her room!)

I say, in this time of fast food and seperate schedules...........any time your family can be together IS educational! There is more to an education than paper and pencils!

Fran

 

[FredS]

I would not take my child out of school for more than a day or two, and even then only in the lowest elementary grades. For instance, if my child was given the opportunity to go to the Olympics opening ceremony in another country, yep, I would work it out with the school. As much as we love WDW, DCL and as cheap as I am I still can't honestly say that our trips to them can't be done any other times, even though they might be more convenient or less expensive. Yes, travel with family is wonderful and important and all those things, but in reality there are many, many days and weeks when kids are not in school. That fantastic family trip with great memories that I might have preferred to take in October will be just as memorable and strengthening to our family ties if we take it in June.

My children are very bright and great students. We are fortunate that their classes are challenging and BUSY. I think if a child could miss a week or two without getting behind, then a serious concern would be the quality of education I was providing for my child! They should be learning steadily, and not be able to do a little report on travel or do some work at home and not miss a beat. And I do not expect their teachers to do their jobs twice, i.e., teach the regular classes, then teach the entire lessons over again because we wanted to make life a little easier and go on vacation in May rather than June. And for what it is worth, my high schooler would be VERY upset if we even tried to pull her from school for a week for vacation. She knows how hard it would be to get back on top of her schoolwork, and I would never hear the end of "So you think rules just don't apply to you?"

That is my opinion and (very briefly) my rationale. Good luck with your choice but I think missing school for Disney (as much as I adore Disney) is something to be done in very limited circumstances.

 

[Zandy595]

I will be taking DS-8 out of 3rd grade in October for our 7 day cruise. He will only be missing 4 days because that Friday is a teacher work day (no school for the kids). He had perfect attendance in 1st grade and only missed 3 days (due to illness) in 2nd. He is also a straight A student.

This is a typical note from our principal in the monthly newsletter.

"It is very important that I stress to you that attendance plays an essential role in each student's ability to perform at the highest academic level possible. Students should avoid being absent from school for reasons other than sickness. There is an Attendance Review Committee in place at the school. The committee's purpose is to review each student's files who have missed at least five days of school, or to encourage families who have had previous attendance issues to avoid problems for the present year. Parents will receive a notice to attend these meetings. May I plead with you not to plan vacations during school. Your child's/children's education at the elementary level is of the utmost importance. The foundation for success is initiated in elementary school. Attitudes and behaviors relative to the importance of school are also established at this level. Let us work cooperatively together to meet the academic needs of our students."

I'll be informing my DS's teacher of the vacation, but I think I'll avoid telling the principal. Of course, she will find out about it, but I feel very uncomfortable speaking with her in person.

 

[PenskeSth1]

We take our kids out of school every year for our vacation. DH works out of state 8 months of the year so, when the kids are out of school "he Is out of state". Summer vacations are pretty much out of the question for us. The kids and myself go for a minnie vacation together in July (just a couple days).

We usually go on vacation around Thanksgiving that way we have a couple of the school holiday days to add to our vacation.
I just get with my Kids teachers(I don't go through anyone else).
Last year we went on the 7 day eastern cruise right after Thanksgiving. I talked to my DS 6 teacher several times all the way up to a couple of days before we left. She was terrific and had work for him to do. Plus gave him books from the school curriculum to read. We have never had any problems.

We do the same for our DD 15. I really agree with most posters, You know how well your kids can cope with missing a few days of school, Its not like they are running a muck. In this fast passed world I agree spending quality time with your family is important. Everyone seems so busy now-a-days. Enjoy your kids, they grow up tooo Fast!

 

[kiku_wiggle]

I am a middle school teacher in Colorado. First of all, I know that good parenting is the key to all kids success. Secondly, all of the teachers in my school support absences if the students have notified them ahead of time and collected work to do. The only time that I have heard grumbling from my colleagues is when a kid comes back from being gone and asks for work. Grading make-up work takes a long time (searching for keys etc.) and that is why teachers would rather have the work done before the kid goes.

The only thing that I have to add is that in Colorado there is a policy that if a child misses more than 20 days of school a year (regardless of excused, unexcused, etc.) their parents will need to go through a hearing justifying the absences. However, they would have received many notices before this occurs.

 

[lbgraves]

Originally posted by DISNEYFAMILYOFFOUR
We will be also on the December 4th Western, then adding four nights at AKL. In total (flying in day before), our DD6 & DS5 (when we go) will be missing a total of nine days of school.

I totally agree with everything LAMPSKIES, and many others, has posted on this one.

Everyone enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, our children are only young once and the years go by extremely fast.

Gloria, We will also be on the 12/4 Western! DD will be 4 & DS will be just 6. Everyone has been busy on our thread the past month but please join us! http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=480884

 

[graygables]

Why are parents afraid of the public school system? Parents have been granted the right to the "care, custody, and control" of their children by the Supreme Court of the United States. If more parents were aware of this right and EXERCISED it regularly, the public schools would be a much more efficient, safe, and viable place for real learning to take place.

That said, I *was* a public school teacher (long story, but basketball eligibility has nothing to do with English grades?) and my oldest 2 were/are public school students, but the schools know that I am able to "excuse" absences and make final curriculum decisions among other things due to my having filed a "Declaration of Parental Rights" with each school. I have subsequently pulled one DD from the PS and have enrolled she and my 2 youngest in a virtual charter school which respects my rights and authority regarding my children.

I grew up in Europe, an Army brat, and thank God my parents didn't believe in perfect attendance! Because of that, I was able to visit almost all of eastern and western Europe, the British Isles, Iceland, Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Morocco...in the US, I've been to all 50 states but the upper plains and Utah. I even had countless "mental health" days when I was in high school. My "education" never suffered, although I did very little "book work" through the years.

Take your children out of school whenever you see fit as a parent and tell the school to read the Constitution and Supreme Court rulings regarding parental rights while they're gone. Neither they, nor CFS/CPS can argue with that.

Stepping off my soapbox (my really BIG soapbox!)...

 

[DSNY FN]

Our daughter 7 almost 8 misses 10 days a year for our Disney trips. We just let the school know ahead of time and they usually have something for her to do or have her make up a journal of the trip for the class to see when she gets back.