Have you ever taken your kids out of school to go to WDW?

[NMBC1993]

I have sort of. When I was in the 4th grade my mom pulled me out of class for the grand opening of Animal Kingdom. She figured this was something too important to miss

 

[ShookieJones]

Always. It's the only way to go.
We warn the school plenty in advance most teachers are cool others can be nasty. I don't give a cr*p.
I appreciate the hard work that teachers do putting together their weekly lessons and teaching my children.
I expect them to appreciate the hard work I do making sure I do every thing in my power to make sure my kids are good students and respect the hard work their teachers do.
If a child falls apart to the point of being unable to recover from one week of missed schools I'm guessing there are other problems.

 

[ShookieJones]

Sadly, we live in a state with fairly strict attendance laws. Anything over 2 unexcused absences in a 60 day period and we could face misdemeanor charges and a $500 fine. I just spent the last couple of days making sure they corrected my daughter's two religious absences last month to be reflected as excused since she will be missing 2 unexcused days next month and I don't want to wind up in court.

I don't even understand how this is legal. Don't your tax dollars go toward paying for these schools and the teachers and administrators salaries? Again I respect everything these folks do in this mainly thankless job but If I want to take my kid out of school for a week I think I should have that right.
They're actually laws that are going fine parents for taking their kids out of school??
That's outrageous.

 

[scoobygirl39541]

I was taken out for a week from 5th grade to high school. By 9th grade it was getting harder to make up the work since I took advanced classes. So you should be fine taking them out through middle school!

 

[hurricanepat]

Yes, parents use to take myself and my siblings out of grade school for a week to go to disney. we as kids obviously didnt regret a thing, we had all of our work done a head of time though. In high school and college we went during spring break.

 

[Mikester71]

All four of our trips (7, 10, 10, 10 days in length) were planned around our kids Spring Break in March. We pull them out on the Friday, so that we can leave early that morning for the 18-21 hour car ride down from Canada, and usually have them back in class by the Thursday after the March Break. All in all, they ended up missing no more than 4 days of school total each time. Considering that a lot of teachers don't really do too much work on the Friday before or on the Monday following, it's really like they only ended up missing 2.

 

[Silver Figment]

I don't have kids, but if I did I would take them out of school to go to Disney.

 

[zurgandfriend]

Sadly, we live in a state with fairly strict attendance laws. Anything over 2 unexcused absences in a 60 day period and we could face misdemeanor charges and a $500 fine. I just spent the last couple of days making sure they corrected my daughter's two religious absences last month to be reflected as excused since she will be missing 2 unexcused days next month and I don't want to wind up in court.

However, if I lived in a state with more normal and realistic attendance policies or find that our district is understanding to a reasonable degree- I'd consider up to a week during elementary if we were far enough away from state testing times. I don't think I'd chance it in middle school or high school. My parents pulled me out in 6th grade for my first trip to WDW and my school work really suffered. The work just intensifies so much by that point that I think it's too detrimental to the child's education to have them miss at that point. The only time I might consider it is at the very tail end of the school year...i.e. if finals and testing are over, but school is still officially in session.

I took my son out of school in the first grade and got such a "ration of nonsense" from the school, see my previous post about the nasty letters then sent, that for our trip when he was in second grade I called the school and told them my son's grandfather who retired in Florida had died and we had to travel to FLA to make arrangements. I know I'm bad but it was that or punch out a principal, who didn't have kids by the way.

 

[weedles]

I don't even understand how this is legal. Don't your tax dollars go toward paying for these schools and the teachers and administrators salaries? Again I respect everything these folks do in this mainly thankless job but If I want to take my kid out of school for a week I think I should have that right.
They're actually laws that are going fine parents for taking their kids out of school??
That's outrageous.

In the districts here funding is directly tied to attendance which obviously gives them the incentive to discourage absences.

For us we prefer to travel at the slower times. This year we will be in wdw for 12 days in Nov. With election day, conference day and vets day that will mean only 4 days missed for ds14 & dd11. I let the principals know ahead of time, contact the teachers to arrange for missed work so they can complete bf hand. Beyond that I dont care what they think. These are my children and our familys plans period! Theyre only young once and we enjoy our time together thoroughly!

 

[ctosh]

We took our kids out of school until 2011.. the only reason we wait till summer now is sports. My dd plays volleyball and basketball and ds plays baseball. Neither of them wants to miss a game or practice so we wait.. We have a 3 week window in the summer and thats our vacation time. If my dd ever gives up basketball (very unlikely) we will head back down in January and pull the kidos out of school. The way I see they grow up so fast.. why not.. before long they will be in college and i will miss them.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I don't even understand how this is legal. Don't your tax dollars go toward paying for these schools and the teachers and administrators salaries? Again I respect everything these folks do in this mainly thankless job but If I want to take my kid out of school for a week I think I should have that right.
They're actually laws that are going fine parents for taking their kids out of school??
That's outrageous.

There are actually a few states where parents can receive prison time for keeping their kids out of school. I grew up in NJ and this was never an issue. The law here in TX changed to this insanity a few yrs ago. It made me sick when my friend had to go to court b/c her kids missed a few days due to a death in the family. It wound up being excused but it was wrong to have her go through this in the first place. Grrrrrrr

 

[muteki]

I remember being pulled out of 1st grade for two days way back when I had my first trip. My parents went to the teacher about it before hand and I remember them getting a lot of crap for it. I also remember having a ton of work to do on the trip that the rest of the class didn't have to do.

I'm some 20 years+ older now and while I don't have kids yet I think that if it were just for a couple days, I wouldn't mind doing it but I wouldn't notify the teachers ahead of time either. I don't want the kid penalized for going on a family vacation.

Anything longer than that and it may be an issue. When I was growing up we had a limit on how many days we could miss in a year (excused or not) and I can only think things have gotten worse since then. I know some co-workers that have pulled kids out and gotten it "pre-approved" as an "educational" trip, but I don't really agree with that either.

Long story short, it depends on your school district's rules and the age of the kid, but it wouldn't bother me to pull them out for a couple days.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I took my son out of school in the first grade and got such a "ration of nonsense" from the school, see my previous post about the nasty letters then sent, that for our trip when he was in second grade I called the school and told them my son's grandfather who retired in Florida had died and we had to travel to FLA to make arrangements. I know I'm bad but it was that or punch out a principal, who didn't have kids by the way.

I don't even know if I could have done that here. My friend had to supply a copy of a death cert + funeral and religious observance details. It really just sickens me. While homeschooling is really not for us, I know a number of people who are now going this route b/c of this nonsense.

 

[steviej]

I wasn't an ideal student, and my parents took me out once during my senior year of high school because my aunt and uncle were coming along, and my aunt couldnt get my spring vacation week off of work. Not a problem, told them about it 3 weeks in advance, got the work I'd be missing a week later, instead of taking it to disney, I banged it all out in one weekend.

Plus the op said september-october, that's a great time cause the work isn't too developed yet

 

[knnyrobb]

We homeschool so it works out great for us. We get to go during non busy times when other kids are in school

 

[Phonedave]

I don't even know if I could have done that here. My friend had to supply a copy of a death cert + funeral and religious observance details. It really just sickens me. While homeschooling is really not for us, I know a number of people who are now going this route b/c of this nonsense.

It is reactionary - to parents who don't give a flying fig about their kids. Deadbeat parents who never make sure their kids go to school slide by, so the governement has to step in to do something, and everyone gets caught in the mix. The whole "no child left behind" thing.

As for taking kids out of school to go on a trip, my personal feeling is no. My feeling, you knew when you had kids they were going to be going to school from ages 6 to 18. If you wanted to go on trips in the winter, then you should have though twice about your committment. Sometimes that is what happens.

As for what happens when you miss school, I will say it is hit or miss. I remember missing school at times when I was a kid (sickness, death in family, etc) and being fine. However I also remember missing a class once in High School because of another school function I was involved with. I just happend to miss physics on the day they introduced imaginary numbers in current flow. I was so behind by missing that one class that it took me a number of weeks to catch up.

My wife is a teacher (middle school), and what they are pushing kids to learn now in middle school and up (at least around here) creates a very full schedule. Her students are sort of an exception because she is a Special Ed teacher, so all of her kids have customized lesson plans anyway.

-dave

 

[Phonedave]

I know some co-workers that have pulled kids out and gotten it "pre-approved" as an "educational" trip, but I don't really agree with that either.
.

That's the other thing that bugs me. Parents pulling their kids out of school and saying that going to WDW is educational because tney learn cash handling, social interaction, and in EPCOT they have the various countries.

Agree of disagree with me about taking your kids out of school, but if you do, at least have the honesty to say it is a vacation pure and simple - not that it is educational, or family bonding (really, you can't bond the other 51 weeks of the year?)

-dave

 

[real mad hatter]

Never have in our 5 visits,altho I know plenty of friends who do.Each to their own.

 

[muteki]

That's the other thing that bugs me. Parents pulling their kids out of school and saying that going to WDW is educational because tney learn cash handling, social interaction, and in EPCOT they have the various countries.

Agree of disagree with me about taking your kids out of school, but if you do, at least have the honesty to say it is a vacation pure and simple - not that it is educational, or family bonding (really, you can't bond the other 51 weeks of the year?)

-dave

I wouldn't call a WDW trip excusable in the "educational" sense even back in EPCOT's heyday (half of it is just me not liking the guy that does it.).

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

We've done it in 2007 when they were both in elementary school and in 2011 when one was in middle school and the other still in elementary school. Both times was there any problems but it was harder for my oldest to catch up but both boys knew that they were going to have to stay after school for the week following the trip. We're doing it again next yr and my oldest will be in 10th grade and while it will be discouraged, my sons have great grades and will make up the work as their "price" of going to WDW.

I think it really depends on how well your child does in school. If they are barely getting by, I would definitely say no but if they are in the 90's and have good study habits, then it shouldn't be an issue.