Taking kids out of school ?

[Onessa]

Just back froma Baltic cruise with my DH and 16YO DD.

 

This had been our first non-school-year cruise in ten years. For me, getting ANY time off during summer is always a major feat. And my DD' s schedule was equally tricky - we had to work around her xcountry practices and meets (which makes up part of her Phy Ed grade), band events (band camp, performances, etc - again part of her grade), summer sessions for AP Chem and AP Stats, and orientation at the college where she will be taking a math class (again, all of which impacts her grades in these classes). Even on summer vacation, she was still responsible for getting her homework done and posted prior to deadlines for her AP classes, making up practices, etc. She needed a vacation to recuperate from her planning :D!

 

There is no easy, one-size-fits-all answer to this issue. You really must evaluate what works for your situation. I can tell you that planning a trip that requires some time off school would have been less disruptive to my kid's education (but no Baltic cruises in late Oct or late Nov :) )

[Monalisa127]

We cruise Sept 8th - it worked out that way for us that a lot of hubby's friends from work were going and it was less expensive. So, kids start school, attend for 10 days, then will be gone for 8 :eek:!

 

I talked to their teachers (son is in 4th and daughter is in 2nd) at the open house and emailed all of them. They are sending work home labor day weekend and allowing him to take one of the vocab quizzes the day before we leave. Plus, we are journaling, so I feel the memories and experience is priceless!

[kruton1971]

Originally Posted by rebeccalouiseagain

Keep in mind in the US the no child left behind policy really cracks down on truancy. So it is illegal to take your child out of school now for anything other than a death in the family or illness. If you write a note saying that your child was absent because you were out of town- you'll get a letter from the school board. This is not a legitimate absence in US public schools.

As another poster mentioned, that is simply NOT true. As others have said, the policies on absences vary by state and school districts. The following is taken directly from my son’s 2012-13 school handbook:

Page 32 – Students are allowed 7 absences per semester. If a student exceeds 7 absences, they can still earn credit and a grade by meeting the following requirements—must pass the final exam AND receive a 75 percent in class.

Originally Posted by Cwusinbunny

I firmly believe in the value of an education. I put myself through school - have a M.Ed, and an MA in political science. I don't need someone to tell me about education. However I will be DAM**D if the federal government or state government or local government will tell me what I can and cannot do on vacation. My child will NOT be truant. I am not a lazy mother who doesn't care if her kid is in school.

I agree with you 100%. My parents took me out of school a few times for trips to Europe. The benefit of seeing other cultures, places of historical significance, etc were INVALUABLE!! It was WAY more valuable than anything I would have learned in the week I missed. Is a cruise to the Caribbean the same? Not quite.

Like others said, it’s up to you to determine if it’s right for your child. I am choosing to take my son out of school for a cruise in November. The government will NOT tell me otherwise. He’ll get a brief look at three other countries and get to see a little slice of the world outside of his back yard.

The cruise is in conjunction with his Thanksgiving break, so he wont miss as much – but if the vacation was right for us, I’d take him out anytime of the year (minus final exams).

[Peace2U]

My son has missed an occasional day of school to cruise. We usually try to cruise on Spring break, so he doesn't have to but things happen. The school is good about it.

[tayzia00]

My vacations where I work go by seniority. So for me, all of the holidays are taken. This year will be my kids first cruise. I have scheduled it the week before Christmas break. When they come back from our trip, they will only have 5 days before they are out for Christmas break. This is as close to the holidays that my job let me since I am so new to the company. I do feel bad for having them miss a whole week of school, but their school does not have them do much the 2 weeks leading up to the break so I think they will not fall behind and miss too much.

[karinvt]

Keep in mind in the US the no child left behind policy really cracks down on truancy. So it is illegal to take your child out of school now for anything other than a death in the family or illness. If you write a note saying that your child was absent because you were out of town- you'll get a letter from the school board. This is not a legitimate absence in US public schools.

 

So most parents tell their kids to lie and say they were sick. I have trouble with that. I did take my son on a cruise over President's weekend because I wanted to do a winter getaway and in the future I won't do this. It isn't worth the anxiety and I don't like to lie. I think it sends two bad messages- the rules don't apply to you and that school isn't really that important.

 

That is not exactly true. It is illegal to be truant but after so many days which is different depending on what state you live in. If you have an excused absence it is not considered to be truant.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I've read all the posts on here. If your school system will allow you to take your child out of school for a vacation and your child will be able to catch up on the work- then I encourage you to travel. I love traveling

 

I just know that in my area- Baltimore County- they are very strict about absences from school and you will get a letter home from the school board if your child misses x number of days even with a written letter from the parents every time the child misses school. It is irritating because we are not allowed to send a child to school unless they have been fever free for 24 hours. I have actually had the school nurse call me after my son returned from school and specifically asked him when he was last running a fever. Because he said "this morning" I had to go get him. Then they wonder why they have all these school absences because if for example- they had a fever the night before but not in the morning- they can't go. Ugh.

 

So in my experience my son has often missed several days from school throughout the school year and I'd hate to add to his absences by tacking on a vacation- when I know that this is not only frowned upon- you can actually have the school board on your back as well. So it simply isn't in the cards for us.

[karinvt]

My advice is talk to your school to find out there exact policy.

 

I have taken my kids out of school for many times for vacations and have never had an issue. I have done this while living in VT, VA, NC, and PA. NC is the only state that would not excuse the absence but still told me it was fine to take them, it would just not be excused. All the other schools have regarded these vacations as educational field trips and excused them. I have been required to fill out form and give a descirption of the educational activites we will do on the trip. But this is easy and just be creative also remember excerise is a requirement at most schools, so kayaking and stuff can be included. We are taking out kids on a cruise next month and just the fact that they are visiting another country adds a social studies element to the trip.

 

My suggestion though is be proactive. I have always contacted the teachers and got as much of thier make up work as possible so they can get it donw before we go. Sometimes they are just required to keep a log of their trip and write a report when they get back. They should not fall behind if you do this.

[carpeperdiem]

It is irritating because we are not allowed to send a child to school unless they have been fever free for 24 hours.

And you have a problem with that?

 

I don't want my kids at a school with parents who act like you do.

 

The rule in our schools (new york city) is "fever-free for 24 hours" - no exceptions. It is terribly unfair to the other kids and families if YOU allow your kid to come to school until they have been fever-free for 24 hours. Fevers can come back -- just when you think you have it beat, it comes back and bites. Yes, that sucks.

 

Life happens. And there is nothing worse to me than YOUR kid getting MY kid sick due to parental negligence. Since your kid WILL infect my kid, and then she'll infect me and my family. And I'll have to take time off work (I own my own business and time off = no income).

 

Are you really comfortable sending your sick kid to school?

 

<selfish>

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Wow- no I am not comfortable sending my child to school sick. In fact, I'm posting this today because my son did get sick at school last week and he is home today- has now missed three days of school.

 

So I agree- wish other people didn't send sick kids to school and perhaps my son wouldn't now be missing school.

 

I was pointing out that you can't always predict how many days your child might miss due to illness and so tacking on a vacation may make your child have more absences than allowed. Just something to consider when planning vacations.

[carpeperdiem]

So I agree- wish other people didn't send sick kids to school and perhaps my son wouldn't now be missing school.

 

I was pointing out that you can't always predict how many days your child might miss due to illness and so tacking on a vacation may make your child have more absences than allowed. Just something to consider when planning vacations.

OK. Got it.

I've posted on this earlier in the thread --

An honest conversation with the teacher(s) and administrators will usually make these issues disappear.

[BirthdayGirl30]

We're taking ours out for three full weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The principal told me that while we will likely get a sternly worded note from the county that we would be insane to not take the trip. The teachers have been supportive, the kids are good students, and we'll keep them as caught up as we are able to. In the end, the experience will be worth it. :)

 

B

[chipmaster]

vacation over school, no wonder US is going where it is.

[andiloveu]

I have taken my two boys out of school for vacation and will again in the future. The only difference is now they are home schooled and can make up the days missed on weekends even before we leave. One reason I like home schooling is that you can make your own schedule. You can have family vacation time and still have all the attendance for school done.:D

[Warm Breezes]

vacation over school, no wonder US is going where it is.

 

:rolleyes: I don't know about anyone else, but when I took my kids out of school for vacations, it was NEVER vacation over school. We worked with the school and made sure school "work" was completed accurately and on a timeline set by the school and teachers.

 

Chipmaster you try to make schooling a case of all or nothing, based on the child sitting in a room with a teacher and other students. Quite often that is not the case. Many children have the ability to learn outside of box (classroom), some even excel at it. Some children absolutely need the structured classroom setting. All children learn differently. My own 2 children learned differently even though they excel at the same subjects (Math and English). The way I helped DD study is completely different than the way I helped DS. She can not absorb the information the same way he did. That is why it is such an individual decision. Not only do parents need to make sure they are in compliance with the school rules, but they must determine if their child has the ability and willingness to do the make up work required.

 

Nothing about this is as cookie cutter clean as you are trying to make it be. For some parents it may be a decision of vacation over school. For others, with children who can learn the information covered without sitting in a classroom, it is not a decision of vacation over school. Either way its up to the parents to decide what is best for their families. None of us know if there are any extinuating circumstances in the parents decision making process, nor do we know their children, or their school system. I for one, will not judge their decision.

[carpeperdiem]

:rolleyes: I don't know about anyone else, but when I took my kids out of school for vacations, it was NEVER vacation over school. We worked with the school and made sure school "work" was completed accurately and on a timeline set by the school and teachers.

 

Chipmaster you try to make schooling a case of all or nothing, based on the child sitting in a room with a teacher and other students. Quite often that is not the case. Many children have the ability to learn outside of box (classroom), some even excel at it. Some children absolutely need the structured classroom setting. All children learn differently. My own 2 children learned differently even though they excel at the same subjects (Math and English). The way I helped DD study is completely different than the way I helped DS. She can not absorb the information the same way he did. That is why it is such an individual decision. Not only do parents need to make sure they are in compliance with the school rules, but they must determine if their child has the ability and willingness to do the make up work required.

 

Nothing about this is as cookie cutter clean as you are trying to make it be. For some parents it may be a decision of vacation over school. For others, with children who can learn the information covered without sitting in a classroom, it is not a decision of vacation over school. Either way its up to the parents to decide what is best for their families. None of us know if there are any extinuating circumstances in the parents decision making process, nor do we know their children, or their school system. I for one, will not judge their decision.

 

<responsible_parenting>

 

LIKE

[dchillis]

How many of you take your children out of school to cruise? If you do, does the school give you a hard time?

 

We have never done it but thinking it's a lot more affordable with a family of 6.

 

Would love to hear what others think :confused:

The way public schools are now days (if your talking public) they probably wouldn't even miss them. You can do whatever you wish to do it's you child and it's not realistic to go on a vacation for a week and take your children with you.

[kruton1971]

Chipmaster

vacation over school, no wonder US is going where it is.

I agree with you 100%. The vocabulary words and French assignments I missed (oh wait, I didn't miss them, I took my homework with me) while on a vacation(s) to Europe during the school year greatly outweighed the insignificant benefits I got from seeing things like the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Versailles Palace, Normandy, Dachau, Anne Frank house, Stonehenge, Buckingham Palace, the Roman Coliseum, need I go on? Oh, and practicing my French in France; worthless as well.

Where's my sarcasm font? :rolleyes:

 

 

 

[goldne]

We're taking ours out for three full weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The principal told me that while we will likely get a sternly worded note from the county that we would be insane to not take the trip. The teachers have been supportive, the kids are good students, and we'll keep them as caught up as we are able to. In the end, the experience will be worth it. :)

 

B

 

:eek:Omg! Three WEEKS??

[mikehn]

The buffoons on our school board made spring break 2013 from Thursday to Wednesday. So we, along with a vast majority of families in our area, will be taking kids out of school for two days for spring break vaction, either on the front end or tail end.

[ksmyers]

Since my wife runs a daycare she cannot take time off during any of the breaks for summer - so we take the kids out of school for a week when needed (usually hire someone to watch the daycare). The schools don't make a big deal of it (we have 4 kids from 3rd to 10th grade) we just let the school know well in advance and usually have all their work done and turned in before the vacation. We are going on a 7 day Carnival Magic cruise Feb 2013 and will be going to Galveston a little early for Mardi Gras so they will miss 7 days of school, but we only live once and family time is time we will never get back, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Happy Cruising!

[sprockie]

We take ours out - every year in January/February. They are in Grade 1 and 6. That will change as they enter high school, but for now we are enjoying our family vacations together.

We travel that time of year because it is 1)less crowded and 2)less expensive 3)a good time to get out of the ice and snow as opposed to March break when the weather begins to get nice at home.

Life is short. We only have one go at this life and we never know what lies ahead. We are making some wonderful memories as a family that we will cherish always.

[rescue/fire]

Taking kids out for vacation.... nuts! And if they get sick more. Days out. Save days out when really needed... !! Three weeks....wow. what wrong with parents

[rescue/fire]

I bet parents in Japan don't take kids out for that...... no wounder we are not at the top like them!!! Keep kids in school... unless their sick or death in family...... just nuts

[Onessa]

I bet parents in Japan don't take kids out for that...... no wounder we are not at the top like them!!! Keep kids in school... unless their sick or death in family...... just nuts

Just how much school did this poster miss?