School groups routinely go to theme parks for math classes. Learning about roller coasters, studying the shapes of the rides and the layout of the parks... there's a ton of educational value and it's easy to justify taking school groups on these trips; schools do it all the time. It's just a matter of knowing how to make it work.
So yeah, if parents want to take their kids out of school for something like this and go above and beyond to make it educational, then that's even better. But to me, for high school students especially, there's definite value to learning how to still meet responsibilities and manage time, even when one is taken out of their normal environment and schedule. It's learning how to adjust when life throws you a curve ball.
