Take children out of school or not?

[near the beach]

Our grandson is in the 6th grade. He has missed two or three school days each school year without a problem. The school gives him any make up work he needs to do. He will have one day to complete the makeup work for each days he is out. Same as for sick days missed. He gets all A’s and B’s. We tell the school office and all of his teachers a week before he will be out. Things may be a little different once he goes to high school.

[Kentchikan]

Our school seems to be pretty strict...

 

5+ UN-excused absences and you are considered truant.

 

10+ TOTAL absences, excused or not, and you are considered truant.

 

However, we are missing the 4 days after Labor Day this year to go on the Breeze. I never considered contacting the Principal. But I do already have notes typed up to their teachers hoping to get work to keep up. I also know the school will try to call if they don't know what's going on after a couple absent days, and I will of course be unreachable and didn't want any issues with that.

 

Now I'm wondering if I should talk to the office...

 

Last year, my son missed 3 days for a cruise and work was given to him.

 

I know that where I taught if children were absent toward the beginning of the year and they couldn't reach the family the office sometimes assumed that the children had moved on to another school. Do talk to the office and the teachers.

[Kentchikan]

Things may be a little different once he goes to high school.

 

High School is different in that there are many different teachers to contact but the good news is he'll be old enough to do it himself. Sometimes cruises are when the children have test but many teachers will let them make them up. On the other hand I've known High School students who don't want to miss. Of course who would want to miss out on a cruise with their grandparents? :)

[Sky616]

Have done this many times with our oldest and will be doing so again next year when our oldest is in 8th and our little guy starts Kindergarten. He is an honor roll student so not worried about it. If he wasn't we might reconsider. The family time is very memorable and besides less crowded in the fall and cheaper.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Sky616

[Kentchikan]

The family time is very memorable and besides less crowded in the fall and cheaper.

 

I agree on both counts. Plus they grow up all to soon and now is the time to make those memories that they will cherish for a lifetime. Some friends took their 4 kids to Europe this summer because the oldest goes to college next year and they figured it might be their last chance for a big family vacation.

[tinkerbell1984]

I know that where I taught if children were absent toward the beginning of the year and they couldn't reach the family the office sometimes assumed that the children had moved on to another school. Do talk to the office and the teachers.

 

 

Good point! It does concern me, my daugheer being in Pre-K, with a waiting list, that they may disenroll her and let someone else in...That is my main fear right now, which is why I've typed letters to the teachers. I will do one for the office also.

 

Also, I know as for high school kids, here, if they miss to much they can have their drivers license suspended or denied.....

Edited August 22, 2013 by tinkerbell1984

[LadyDAC]

I plan to take my hs freshman out for 3 days in Oct. Our district's policy is that if you have 6 absences in a semester you do not pass the class, regardless of your grade. Tardiness of 15 minutes or more counts as an absence. You can apply for a wiaver if you exceed 6 but there are set reasons and I'm not sure they'd grant it for a cruise. :eek: The saving grace is that the high schools are on block schedules so he'll really only have 2 absences in some classes and 1 absence in the others. I do plan to contact the school admin and teachers prior to the cruise to let them know he will be out and why and to see how he should go about making up his work.

[dsrdsrdsr]

I think a day or two would be ok but multiple weeks sends the wrong message to the child about the importance of school. And yes I know all the parents are making it an educational experience while they drink their piña coladas and lie on a beach...

I would say completely the opposite. Removing your children from school for this reason sends exactly the right message about the importance of school - it sends the message that school is not as important as family life.

 

We aren't talking about taking them out of school to save pennies to spend on clothes and parties. We're tallking about significant medical issues, and it may be months before the children and you can have your "normal mother-child relationship", so to speak. Take the holiday, and make it a proper holiday, not one where they're having to keep up with school work. If they were sick for a fortnight they'd get by, so they can get by with a healthy absence too.

[Onessa]

And yes I know all the parents are making it an educational experience while they drink their piña coladas and lie on a beach...

If your idea of a cruise vacation is lying on the beach drinking, why do you assume that is everyone else's idea of a cruise vacation?

[russianmom]

I've taken my son out of school twice for family cruises and a few other times for land vacations. He has a lot of serious congenital medical issues and family time and memories are very important to us.

 

At this point I could care less what the school says or thinks...

[Kentchikan]

I plan to take my hs freshman out for 3 days in Oct. Our district's policy is that if you have 6 absences in a semester you do not pass the class, regardless of your grade. Tardiness of 15 minutes or more counts as an absence. You can apply for a wiaver if you exceed 6 but there are set reasons and I'm not sure they'd grant it for a cruise. :eek: The saving grace is that the high schools are on block schedules so he'll really only have 2 absences in some classes and 1 absence in the others. I do plan to contact the school admin and teachers prior to the cruise to let them know he will be out and why and to see how he should go about making up his work.

 

Wow. That seems a bit Draconian.

[kroberts0525]

Whew...lots of opinions here! I am a high school teacher and a parent of an elementary school student. Soooo here is one more opinion. I think elementary kids can miss a week of school, especially if parents tell their kids how much they value school rather than proclaim that they, "can do whatever they please with their offspring". In the US, I would check with school to see when standardized testing is going on and avoid that time if possible. In some cases a "non-taken" test counts as a zero for the district. Don't you want your darling genius to up the district score? Surely you don't want your vacation to negatively impact the district scores (and your property values). Sometimes tests can be made up early or late. As you hit higher grades, it is more of a problem. Remember when you gave things up for your toddler? You may need to revisit that thought process. Missing a week of high end High School is tough and may require some sacrifices...much like those toddler years, this too shall pass.

[VaBaseballMom]

We were blessed to be able to homeschool our two youngest children for the last few years of school, which enabled us to be able to take them with us when we cruised. I counted those days as school days (MS still requires 180 school days, even if you homeschool). I figured if our public school could take kids to the same zoo, every year, then I could take my children to three foreign countries. I had them complete assignments about the three places that we visited.

 

 

Us too! We love the flexibility of homeschooling and have taken advantage of the opportunities to cruise during "off" times and really enjoyed it. There are tons of "teachable moments" on cruises! I will tell you that the last cruise we were on in February, I saw many kids working on school work in the Lido with their parents. I assumed they were homeschoolers and stopped by to chat. Much to my surprise, most were not...they had simply taken the kids out of school and were wrapping up school assignments on board. Actually, I ended up giving an impromptu fractions lesson in the Lido...pretty funny...so take your kids and enjoy!!

[griffy116]

Without checking on district, and State policies, just taking your kids out of school and enjoying can turn into a disaster. There are requirements that you, nor the teacher control, such as the number of unexcused absences before being required to repeat the grade. Times have changed and with the cuts to education funding, the restrictions imposed have also changed. It's also important to remember that the teacher is required to sit down and draw up a separate set of lesson plans just for your student. Again, with the budget cuts to education there are increased classroom sizes and this teacher may have 35+ students. Just something to consider. We have always managed to work around the school schedule. Our kids have said they hate having to make up all the tests when they return.

[LadyDAC]

Wow. That seems a bit Draconian.

 

I think so too. (Actually, I misspoke - it's MORE THAN 6.). I think if the kid can keep up his grades and standardized test scores, without additional effort from his teachers, there should be some leniency and room for parental discretion.

[Mack2]

Whew...lots of opinions here! I am a high school teacher and a parent of an elementary school student. Soooo here is one more opinion. I think elementary kids can miss a week of school, especially if parents tell their kids how much they value school rather than proclaim that they, "can do whatever they please with their offspring". In the US, I would check with school to see when standardized testing is going on and avoid that time if possible. In some cases a "non-taken" test counts as a zero for the district. Don't you want your darling genius to up the district score? Surely you don't want your vacation to negatively impact the district scores (and your property values). Sometimes tests can be made up early or late. As you hit higher grades, it is more of a problem. Remember when you gave things up for your toddler? You may need to revisit that thought process. Missing a week of high end High School is tough and may require some sacrifices...much like those toddler years, this too shall pass.

 

I agree with you.

 

We're in New Jersey, and we would take advantage of "Jersey Week", the first week of November when the kids in New Jersey would universally get 3 days off because of Election Day and the NJEA Teacher's Convention in Atlantic City.

 

We took advantage of it because the kids were Elementary and Junior High age.

 

Now, my eldest is entering high school for his freshman year, and we did NOT plan a "Jersey Week" vacation. High School seems to be serious business. Additionally, my eldest is legally blind and an honor student.

 

We did not want to jeopardize his education in the midst of him acclimating to the high school and the high school environment. He's already taking a week in September to participate at Space Camp in Alabama for SCIVIS (Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students)

 

I think it has to be a decision for what you believe would be in your kid's best interest.

 

In lieu of "Jersey Week", we'll be in Honolulu for High School Spring Break '14.

[Kentchikan]

I think so too. (Actually, I misspoke - it's MORE THAN 6.). I think if the kid can keep up his grades and standardized test scores, without additional effort from his teachers, there should be some leniency and room for parental discretion.

 

I agree and speaking as a teacher the wealth of experience that children get on a cruise vacation is incalculable. Plus that family time together is precious and is making memories that will stay with them all their lives. I still remember trips I took with my parents when I was young. It helped to broaden my horizons and awareness of the world.

[Fishymom]

We did last fall and will again this fall.

Each time the teachers have been awesome.

Providing homework, letting the boys tell the class about their trips etc.

 

I agree that once in HS and college, the time away may affect things more. But elementary etc... No, life is too short not to make memories.

[pafam4]

Situations like the OP describes (medical situations, etc.)...I'm all for taking the kids out (if the kids are comfortable with it).

 

Some posters are stating that a week away should have no impact. In high school, if a week away from school has no impact and it is not hard to make up the work, I think I'd be questioning the quality of education my child was receiving. There is no way my kids would want to miss a week of high school. The amount of work to make up would be so daunting, and more importantly, the info from things like labs, lectures, group projects missed from time out of the classroom cannot easily be recaptured. This can have impacts on their grades, etc, no matter what track the kids are in at school. I guess not all high schools are the same, but at our high school, a week away would definitely have an impact.

[Kentchikan]

Situations like the OP describes (medical situations, etc.)...I'm all for taking the kids out (if the kids are comfortable with it).

 

Some posters are stating that a week away should have no impact. In high school, if a week away from school has no impact and it is not hard to make up the work, I think I'd be questioning the quality of education my child was receiving. There is no way my kids would want to miss a week of high school. The amount of work to make up would be so daunting, and more importantly, the info from things like labs, lectures, group projects missed from time out of the classroom cannot easily be recaptured. This can have impacts on their grades, etc, no matter what track the kids are in at school. I guess not all high schools are the same, but at our high school, a week away would definitely have an impact.

 

It's probably more true in High School than Elementary but with the new paradigm and pacing calendars things move a quite a clip.

[Onessa]

Some posters are stating that a week away should have no impact. In high school, if a week away from school has no impact and it is not hard to make up the work, I think I'd be questioning the quality of education my child was receiving. There is no way my kids would want to miss a week of high school. The amount of work to make up would be so daunting, and more importantly, the info from things like labs, lectures, group projects missed from time out of the classroom cannot easily be recaptured. This can have impacts on their grades, etc, no matter what track the kids are in at school. I guess not all high schools are the same, but at our high school, a week away would definitely have an impact.

A two years ago our school's marching band had an event out of state and the kids needed to be away over several school days. Even though there were 200+ kids awau (from a school with a total 9-12 student population of just under 1000) classes went on as usual - the kids all got their makeup assignments ahead of time and dutifully spent time on the plane, on buses, and in the hotel doing the work. DD became the official tutor for the Pre-Calc students. I volunteered to run a discussion group for the E11H English class on "The Great Gatsby" one evening (which meant I had to re-read it from when I was in high school 30+ years ago). We had similar groups for other classes and I don't think anyone came back "behind". But that experience was proof enough for me that pulling kids out of high school for even a few days can be really hard work! DD missed days of school for our family trips when she was in elemetary and middle school -- she's just started her senior year and it appears that she will not miss any days through high school for family trips.

[fostermom2012]

It depends on where you live and what the policy is. My sister takes her three children out of school for vacation and it is up to the student to get their home work from their teachers and it is due on the day they return. I know that last year we went to Myrtle Beach, SC and the residence their told us that in SC you are not allowed to take your children out of school.

[melissagrf]

I taught in one district and my DS attends school in another. Every school district has a different policy, and policies may vary even within schools of the same district. My son's school requires a written form (a request) to be filled out. On this form you spell out your reasons for going and educational opportunities available. These are plentiful on our itinerary. Many parents feel that the school does not have a right to deny a request, and I don't think they would actually do it, but the implication that it's possible is there.

 

I am not teaching right now and am planning a cruise this Nov., and my son will miss 10 days of school. It is a lot. As a teacher, I acknowledge this. I have taken into consideration his young age and scholastic aptitude, also his "outside interests" and family time. I also know he will miss educational opportunities at school. You have to weigh your own personal pros and cons. I don't think I would do this if my son was taking advanced courses in high school, for instance, but that is just me. Do what you honestly feel is best for your kids.

[Kentchikan]

A two years ago our school's marching band had an event out of state and the kids needed to be away over several school days. Even though there were 200+ kids awau (from a school with a total 9-12 student population of just under 1000) classes went on as usual - the kids all got their makeup assignments ahead of time and dutifully spent time on the plane, on buses, and in the hotel doing the work. DD became the official tutor for the Pre-Calc students. I volunteered to run a discussion group for the E11H English class on "The Great Gatsby" one evening (which meant I had to re-read it from when I was in high school 30+ years ago). We had similar groups for other classes and I don't think anyone came back "behind". But that experience was proof enough for me that pulling kids out of high school for even a few days can be really hard work! DD missed days of school for our family trips when she was in elemetary and middle school -- she's just started her senior year and it appears that she will not miss any days through high school for family trips.

 

I]The Great Gatsby[/i] is one of my favorite books of all time. If you had to lead a discussion group the one you got should have been interesting. You're so right though about how much more work it is for high school students (and their parents ;) ) when they miss.

[Kentchikan]

It depends on where you live and what the policy is. My sister takes her three children out of school for vacation and it is up to the student to get their home work from their teachers and it is due on the day they return. I know that last year we went to Myrtle Beach, SC and the residence their told us that in SC you are not allowed to take your children out of school.

 

I taught in one district and my DS attends school in another. Every school district has a different policy, and policies may vary even within schools of the same district. My son's school requires a written form (a request) to be filled out. On this form you spell out your reasons for going and educational opportunities available. These are plentiful on our itinerary. Many parents feel that the school does not have a right to deny a request, and I don't think they would actually do it, but the implication that it's possible is there.

 

I am not teaching right now and am planning a cruise this Nov., and my son will miss 10 days of school. It is a lot. As a teacher, I acknowledge this. I have taken into consideration his young age and scholastic aptitude, also his "outside interests" and family time. I also know he will miss educational opportunities at school. You have to weigh your own personal pros and cons. I don't think I would do this if my son was taking advanced courses in high school, for instance, but that is just me. Do what you honestly feel is best for your kids.

 

You're both right it varies by state and by district. Most districts have a district wide policy which is not to say that everyone follows it. I always had the students do some assignments that tied into their vacation so it would be more meaningful and encourage them to find out about their destinations. Parents seemed to appreciate it. The airline people were wonderful about the airplane questions.