Would you let your eighth grader do this? (Update, first post)

[ThreeBeans]

That reminds me, a couple of times our 'gym class' involved all of us trekking a few miles up the road to the ice cream place. We would have been 9 or 10 at the time. It wasn't a field trip and there were no permission slips.

This was also a weird little private religious school and they did a lot of weird things that would have been frowned on (or processed criminally) in a public school.

 

[qtwns]

In our area most teachers and other public employees receive something like three personal days annually. They aren't sick days, and they aren't vacation days. They're supposed to cover those random situations that aren't either illness or vacation, but you still need time off for (your kid's day care provider is ill, your car broke down, you want to spend a day doing a Flash Mob )

I'm a teacher and would TOTALLY use one of my personal days to attend a Flash Mob!!

 

[golfgal]

I don't know... that's what a parent told me.

I have no idea how they organize teacher schedules in my town. But I assume teachers can book time off, if they want. She's obviously not hiding her plans for the day from the administration, either. They're all meeting AT school, and leaving from the school parking lot, shortly after classes have begun for the day.

A friend of mine (with adult children, plus one still in high school) just commented that they have to do it this way, because the school district doesn't allow any school trips that involve swimming for liability reasons. Thus the "unofficial" nature of the trip.


P.S. I should add that I had to send in a note to the office yesterday excusing my son from school for that day. All the children had to do that. If there's no note, they can't leave the school grounds.

Sounds like the school is ok with this but just can't "officially" be ok with it. It sounds like they will be absent but not an unexcused absence. I wouldn't worry too much about it since it seems like the parents organizing it ran it by the school and what the procedure should be. If the principal is at all cool, he/she realizes this is a good way for the kids to end their school years together. Most principals are pretty cool.

 

[ThreeBeans]

Is this in Ontario? I'm only going by my school board (north of Toronto). We get Personal Illness Days, Family Days (max 3), Moving Day, etc. No personal days (or Flash Mob days ). I know a couple of teachers who have taken extra long weekends for personal reasons (travel, etc) and they have to be approved by the superintendant and are unpaid. In my board, this siituation would cause a huge ruckus. lol

Nope, I'm south of the border (Massachusetts). Sounds like our "Personal Days" are equivalent to your "Family Days". They were originally approved to prevent people from being fired because they had to go to their kid's parent-teacher conference, or similar things. Of course, people are free to use them however they want, but because there are so few of them it's sensible to hang onto them for the emergencies.

 

[michellev]

Wow, that's rough!

Based on the number of times my children have reported having substitutes, I suspect we have a generous personal leave allowance for teachers in our school board. (I'm not in the GTA.)

Based on the number of times my children have reported having substitutes, I suspect we have a generous personal leave allowance for teachers in our school board. (I'm not in the GTA.)[/QUOTE]

Oh don't get me wrong, we do get a generous amount of sick time. lol We just can't call in for a "personal day" and thus could not use sick time to go to a water park with a bunch of students (which I think is a bad idea regardless).

Kids going? Not a big deal. Teacher joining them? Terrible idea.

 

[michellev]

Nope, I'm south of the border (Massachusetts). Sounds like our "Personal Days" are equivalent to your "Family Days". They were originally approved to prevent people from being fired because they had to go to their kid's parent-teacher conference, or similar things. Of course, people are free to use them however they want, but because there are so few of them it's sensible to hang onto them for the emergencies.

That makes sense. Our Family Days are treated as days you stay home with your sick kid, etc. I would not want to get caught using a Family Day for my Flash Mob performance. Of course, with my dance skills I'm pretty sure no one would want to see my Flash Mob performance anyway.

 

[Magpie]

Sounds like the school is ok with this but just can't "officially" be ok with it. It sounds like they will be absent but not an unexcused absence. I wouldn't worry too much about it since it seems like the parents organizing it ran it by the school and what the procedure should be. If the principal is at all cool, he/she realizes this is a good way for the kids to end their school years together. Most principals are pretty cool.

That's pretty much my thought, except for the fact that the kids really did do most of the organizing themselves.

I've been talking to the mom who is driving my son there and back, and she kept talking how confusing it's all been. I sympathize! It's hard getting any kind of coherent information out of a 13yo boy!

I'm trying to think what I should be including in his fanny pack... a cellphone, sun block, money, his health card, a photocopy of his health card to give to his teacher, contact information...

 

[mjkacmom]

In a heartbeat! Heck, I called out my freshman every day last week - all they do is walk around the school, no classes.

 

[bumbershoot]

I have no idea what I might do in that situation. If I let DS go I'd probably want to be one of the drivers/chaperones.


The school thing is so opposite of the area I grew up in! We had several elementary schools going into two middle schools, which then went to ONE high school. So we didn't split up, we got closer and closer! (until the high school was made a "magnet" my senior year and they bussed a bunch of kids in and ONE girl out, because she wasn't signed up for anything in the "magnet" classes (languages, communication, arts))

So it's so interesting to me that they'll get split apart.

 

[horseshowmom]

I would totally let my child go to the waterpark, as long as I was comfortable with the chaperones, and I felt like my kid was mature enought to behave themselves with what is most likely little supervision. Of course, I am one of those parents that lets my child miss school for a day of skiing or a weeks vacation, so missing a day of school, especially in the last week when not much is going on would not be a big deal for me.

I'd let mine go. It sounds like a fun day and will be supervised by adults. School is certainly important, but this will be an great memory for these kids.

As far as the teacher going along, if they're meeting in the school parking lot, I'm quite sure she knows what she's doing.

 

[Magpie]

I have no idea what I might do in that situation. If I let DS go I'd probably want to be one of the drivers/chaperones.

I wish I could be a driver! I'm not allowed to drive, because I get double vision. My eye doctor says it wouldn't be safe.

 

[Poohforyou]

Why can't this just be a school trip ? Our 8th grade went to Great Adventure for the day during the last week of school as well as had a pool party at a local swim club.

I've let my DD11 miss school for different things throughout the years so I really wouldn't have a problem as long as she wasn't missing a test and had all assignments turned in. I'd probably be one of those parents who volunteered to drive but I'm a bit of a rebel.

 

[Planogirl]

All of this fuss on a forum where people take kids out of school routinely for a week or more to go to WDW? Doesn't anyone else see the irony?

I probably would have let DS go. I'm surprised that a teacher can get away with this though.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I would have NO problem with my 8th grader skipping out at the end of school for a 'go out with a bang' day.

If them and some of their friends wanted to do this, and there were some parent chaperones... I would have no problem saying go for it!

However, something about this situation, the teacher, leaving from the school parking lot, etc...... something is just off here. I would def. have some real second thoughts and questions.

Without answers... I think I am still a 'no'.

 

[Magpie]

Why can't this just be a school trip ? Our 8th grade went to Great Adventure for the day during the last week of school as well as had a pool party at a local swim club.

I've let my DD11 miss school for different things throughout the years so I really wouldn't have a problem as long as she wasn't missing a test and had all assignments turned in. I'd probably be one of those parents who volunteered to drive but I'm a bit of a rebel.

I think it has to do with insurance and liability. The school board won't officially allow any trip involving swimming (outside of swim meets, I guess).

 

[Magpie]

I would have NO problem with my 8th grader skipping out at the end of school for a 'go out with a bang' day.

If them and some of their friends wanted to do this, and there were some parent chaperones... I would have no problem saying go for it!

However, something about this situation, the teacher, leaving from the school parking lot, etc...... something is just off here. I would def. have some real second thoughts and questions.

Without answers... I think I am still a 'no'.

Specifically, what questions?

 

[torinsmom]

Okay, so given the reaction to a bus driver stopping to let some eighth graders have some ice cream, I'm wondering what you all think of this scenario...

My son's eighth grade class is ditching school next week to go to a local water park. Six parents have agreed to drive and one teacher will also be going with them. This is NOT an approved, school arranged trip. There are no insurance forms or permissions, and they'll all be marked absent for the day.

The children organized it all themselves, figuring out how they are going to get there and who will be driving them, and how they'll be getting home.

Would you let your child do this?

ETA:

*This the last partial week of school. They're not missing any instructional time.

*These kids have been together since Grade 5. After this year, they're splitting up and going to many different high schools. Most will never see each other again.

*They're meeting in the school parking lot, and leaving for the park shortly after the start of classes.

*Last week, all participating students had to give the office a letter from their parents excusing them from school on the day of the trip. Without a letter, they can't leave school grounds.

*Our school board does not allow any official school outings that involve swimming, due to liability.

*I can't be a parent driver, because I get double vision and am not allowed to drive.

I would. Sounds like a lot of fun. I would arrange to be a chaperone though, just to keep an eye on things, especially since it is a water park.

In our area most teachers and other public employees receive something like three personal days annually. They aren't sick days, and they aren't vacation days. They're supposed to cover those random situations that aren't either illness or vacation, but you still need time off for (your kid's day care provider is ill, your car broke down, you want to spend a day doing a Flash Mob )

We get 3 a year, I believe. We have to pay $50 or something towards a sub for personal days, but don't have to do that for "sick" days. Most teachers I know just take a sick day instead, since we earn 12 of those per year. Even if you're not physically sick, you can consider it a "mental health day"

I wish I could be a driver! I'm not allowed to drive, because I get double vision. My eye doctor says it wouldn't be safe.

Why don't you see if you can ride along with one of the parents going?

 

[Tink888]

I don't see this as any different from a group of kids just planning to go to a water park for the day. The only liability lies with me.

These are 13/14 year old kids correct? As long as I know that my child is a good swimmer, I'd have no problem letting them go and missing a day of school at the end of the year.

I would want to know who was driving my child and chaperoning. If I didn't, I would just go along myself and still allow my child to participate.

 

[Magpie]

Why don't you see if you can ride along with one of the parents going?

Because that would be taking a seat away from a kid. They really had to scramble to find enough parents for all of them.

However, I did talk to the mum who is driving my son today, and I've got her cellphone number.

Also, realistically, I wouldn't be watching him every moment at the park anyway. He knows how to swim, and I've been letting him go to our local pool with his friends since he was nine.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Specifically, what questions?

Sent you a quick PM