Taking kids out of school?
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Taking kids out of school?
| Tue, 05-01-2007 - 12:11am |
Does anyone take their kids out of school for a Disney trip?
| Tue, 05-01-2007 - 12:11am |
Does anyone take their kids out of school for a Disney trip?
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We just got back from our 1st EVER Disney vacation, and yes we took the kids out of school for 4 days. It was April vacation week (Wed) when we left, and we got back the following Thursday. I had them miss the 4 days because plane tickets at the beginning of April vacation week would have cost DOUBLE and I had to buy 7 tickets, so I did it because of the money.
My kids are in grades 1, 3, 8, 10, and 12.
Hey Janet! :)
Bit by the bug I see... :)
As for taking Joey out of school, I was really nervous about it this year, because his preK was lottery selected and you can only miss X days of school each semester w/o them having the right to kick your child out of his place in preK, since there was quite a demand for the class... that being said, I did take him out this year because of that free dining deal in September...
I don't remember any negative reaction from the teacher, but I did have some self imposed Mommy-guilt over him missing school... since then I've dropped that though, as it is such an educational trip--or it can be--especially with as much as Joey loves to soak up information at Epcot and Animal Kingdom...
I'm currently trying to decide on whether or not to plan a trip for this September (during the free dining)... He does have a fall break this year the weekend before his birthday so I'm tempted to do something then instead and we're going in June all ready, so its a tough one... I want to do something on that break, I'm just not sure if Disney is it... either way though, if we do, he'll miss some school though--either in September or a few days just after fall break, as we'd be going for his birthday and his birthday is the first day back from fall break and we'd have to stay ~at least~ one more day for that!
Thanks for posting this because I am very interested on how this is handled in schools....
Julie
I am a teacher (on a long break :) ) and I can give you both perspectives. As a teacher I would be upset when kids were taken out of school for vacations. They would miss important lessons that were not always the easiest to get them caught up on. After a few years I started to realize that parents have what is in the best interest for their children. They can't live their entire life around school.
As a parent who has been a SAHM for 2 years now I get to see the other side of the whole situation. We have taken our DD who is 12 now out of school for 5 days the past 2 years for Disney. She missed school in 5th grade and in 6th grade and she will be missing school in 7th grade (although we are considereing home schooling next year.) We wrote great letters to the school explaining the educational value and how she would benefit from a trip to Disney. We found some great examples online. The school made her keep a journal both times and in SS this year she had to share what she learned about in each country in Epcot. (It was fun asking questions to all the cm's in each country. They were very knowledgable.)They did conisder them excused absences.
As for the school districts not getting money when kids are not is school...that is BS. If a child does not show up in the first 10 days in NC, they will not receice funds for that child right away. So, missing out of the first 2 weeks could be harmful, but charging parents for educating their own child how they seem fit is ludicrous. I see lawsuits coming!
Hi there,
I have taken my kids out of school every year but one since the oldest was in kindergarten. I've never had a teacher care, and the kids always kept journals for elementary teachers. Those are a great keepsake - very cute. Especially if the kids write AND draw pictures.
Middle school was a bit different for my son this year. I told them about our trip ahead of time as I always do, and I received a snippy note that "only 5 days per year will be allowed for family trips". Which made me wonder though....then what? I'm thinking it's kind of an empty threat, although I'll admit I don't know the consequence of unexcused absence days. I figure next year I'll just call every morning and give the least amount of detail possible....."A, J, and L will not be in school today. If you need to reach me, my cell phone number is xxx-xxxx." We actually ran into another family from middle school on our last trip (small world for sure!), and they just called their kids in sick every day. I don't like to lie, but I can understand why these parents did it that way.
I don't feel even the slightest amount of guilt. As long as the kids continue to have good grades and behave properly in school, I think it's just fine to round out their education and give them a well-deserved break with a December Disney trip. That school in CA is cracked.....something tells me they have bigger fish to fry vs. kids taking days off to be with their families. Around here, there are certain days or weeks that students are counted, and funding is somehow based on this count. It seems like an odd way to do things anyway. An average student count for the entire year would make more sense, and short vacations wouldn't even make an impact.
Laurie in OH, mom to
Alex, 12 years old
Julianne and Leah, 10.5 years old
Audrey, 3 years old
WDW visits in 1973, 1986, 1987, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006
Hoping for December 2007!
LAURIE IN OH, Mom to:
Alex, 1
A lot of it will depend on your school district and state laws. Some schools average their funding throughout the years, some get funding based on enrollment the first week or two (I've read of such schools telling their 'slower' and/or migrant populations to come back to school 2 weeks late so they didn't get counted! so it goes both ways). Here in VA they give you a hard time after 10 days. In GA they can take you to truancy court after 5 days. But even within those state laws the schools themselves deal with it differently. I homeschool, but took my niece out of school for 5 days last year to go to Disney. She's in GA. My SIL was stressed, but when she talked to the school they told her that while it was an unexcused absense that they wouldn't give her a hard
"My SIL was stressed, but when she talked to the school they told her that while it was an unexcused absense that they wouldn't give her a hard time becuase she knew where her daughter was - not skipping- and for Tori to have fun."
Ahhh...some common sense. I love it! Good for that school.
Thank you for filling me in on the consequences in different states. Very interesting. I'll have to look up Ohio rules now.
"I've also read that a lot of parents have taken to simply withdrawing and then re-enrolling if a family vacation was going to cause to much headache with the schools."
That's funny. Better than lying though in my book (calling a kid in sick all week). Just a headache for parents. More school hoops to jump through. Homeschooling is looking better to me all the time, I have to say. As a non-typical student, my son is not really getting what he needs any longer (he is testing on a college level in 6th grade in all subjects, based on ACT and SAT tests), and the petty rules and regulations in middle school are starting to make me a bit disgruntled to say the least.
Laurie in OH
LAURIE IN OH, Mom to:
Alex, 1
I always take DD out of school. I try to make it as few days as possible working around the school calendar.
We went in May of 2006 and took DD ( she was in the 8th grade ). I told the school that we were taking some FAMILY TIME because tragedy happens too often and we needed to be a family and spend quality time together. I had recently had a close friend lose her husband at 43 years old.
A few months after we returned DD's Father ( my Ex husband ) was killed in a car accident.
I will never let school tell me we can't spend time as a family. It is really important and you never know what the next day will bring..
Diane
I've also taken my kids out of school, and will be doing so again in a few days! Our district has a policy on "vacation absences": Students are allowed to miss 15 days total between 1st and 5th grades, and I think it's 10 days total for 6-8th and 10 days total for 9-12. In other words, 15 days over a 5 year period, etc.
I took my DS7 out for 5 days in first grade, and now 5 days in second grade. Ooops, almost at the end of my 15 day limit! Actually, I would continue to take him out if need be. One of my biggest pet peeves is the state dictating to me when I can and can not take my children out of school. And honestly, I think my DS7 will learn more at Disney when we are there in a few days than he will learn in school for that week!
My DS 12 is another story. Middle school is alot harder to make up missed days. He'll be missing 5 days, but thankfully it's the end of the school year. When we get back, there will only be 2 weeks of school left. I don't know if we'll take a vacation during the school year again because of him being in middle school. I think it's harder on the student. I know my DS will have a ton and a half of work to make up and he'll be all stressed out about it. As they move up in the grades, it gets harder.
I totally agree about the family time too. My mom is turning 60 on this trip, and it is all she wanted for her birthday to go to Disney. The principal at my younger DS's school said to me "Why can't you celebrate her birthday in June?"....Well...who knows what June will bring? Anything can happen. Her birthday is in May, and that's when we're going!
Marcy
Thanks for everyone's input.
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