Keeping children out of school to go to WDW

[Iris]

I'm always amazed at how many school aged children there are at WDW during school year.

Parents, how do you make your case to the school? Do they give you a hard time, or has it now become an accepted thing?

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

School by Fax

Some school systems allows parents to take children out of school as long as assingments are done and faxed to the school (out system does this). They will provide the assignments in advance and then tell parents when they are due and where to fax them. This September we will take our nephew out of school for the second time. Another item to note is that the school year is different in certain parts of the world so there is always the chance that some of the kids you encounter are actually out on vacation!

 

[cheezedoodle20]

we took our kids out when they were in elementery school. we talked to the teachers and made sure of what they would miss and the kids made it up when they came back. there are some people who can't take a summer or spring vacation. my husband is in constructiuon and only has off from Jan. till March so we used to take it then

 

[Nansafan]

I've never done it because our school was very strict about taking kids out of school during the year. I personally feel that travel is an education. If my son's school wasn't so strict about it, I would have taken him out for a Disney vacation.

 

[CP17]

as long as my child can maintain an A average, I should be able to take her out school as much as I want. The schools have been dumbed down so much some students could maintain A's & B's just showing up for test.

 

[William Marsden]

In our district, it's very easy to take a kid out of elementry school (our school goes from grades 1 - 8) but in High School they'd better be hospitalized or dead! In the future, we're going to have to observe 4 Disneyless years or at least 4 years of going without our daughter (I refuse to go from the Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day).

 

[kachow]

I know when I was in elementary school, the teacher had me do a report on the trip as a way to get something educational about the trip. I think it's ok through probably 6th grade, and then I think it's more important to teach the child responsibility. I mean, if a parent doesn't respect the importance of school attendence, why would the child?

 

[MicheleK]

I personally don't take my kids out of school for vacations. Too many of my friends have done it and told me horor stories about the amount of make-up work the kids have when they get back. In one case, my friends' son (3rd grade) had so much work, it took him one month to make up. Let's say he cried almost daily when he got home from school!

 

[JaclynR]

We are taking our kindergartener and 2nd grader out for a week in December. When my dd missed 1 week for a trip in kindergarten, we took the make-up work along with us and she got most of it done. We are talking dittos upon dittos, upon dittos. This will be our last big trip for many years.

 

[Master Yoda]

We tell the teachers the truth and get all there assignments ahead of time. My kids will bring their books with them and do there work on the trip. We also require our kids to stay on the A/B honor roll. If they are not then they stay with their grandmother and miss the trip.

 

[joelleharbert]

We're taking my 6-year-old son to WDW during the second week of 1st grade. I've already spoken with the school and many of the teachers I've spoken to say they would rather have him miss the second week of school than in Jan. or Feb. when they're actually in the middle of learning something. As most of us know, in elementary school, you're basically reviewing what you learned the year before in the first and second weeks. We chose to take him out because 1) less crowds in Sept. and 2) he was at the top of his kdg. class and we felt that anything he missed, we could help him with. I'm not sure I will be able to do this forever, of course, but I'm going to do it as long as we can. I guess after that, we'll be fighting the crowds in June, July, or August.

_____________________________________________________________

Sept. 04-Fort Wilderness; Old Key West
Sept. 06-Off-site

ONLY 51 MORE DAYS!!!!!:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[SallyShine]

We took our children out (twice) when they were in elementary school. Now that they are in high school, it's hard enough to keep up as it is. We went during spring break this year and in July a few times. It's really not as bad as everyone says. We still managed to have a great time.

 

[CommandoDisney]

for my family, my parents would take us out of school for a week in october, when my siblings and i were in grade school. the school frowned on it, but it was mostly up to the teachers. we gave them plenty of notice and got the work ahead of time. like others have said allready, in the fall, teachers arent too bad about you missing school because they are mostly just reviewing.

in high school, my school's policy was you cant miss school unless its for a death in the family or other emergency, but they knew most families would just be like "try and stop us!" so again it was mostly up to your teachers. if you had cool teachers, or if they knew you were a good student and wouldnt fall behind they would just give you the work to make up when you got back. my parents didnt want to risk it though, and we just went in late august while a lot of the southern schools are allready back in session.

 

[Nemo14]

It varies with each school. Some schools aare so strict about taking kids out, that it is hardly worth it to try. I'm a former teacher married to a teacher, so it was never really an option for us when our kids were younger, but if circumstances were different, I'd have taken them out in a heartbeat rather than go in the heat and crowds of the summer!

 

[Tenny317]

When I was a child I used to go to Florida/disney ALL the time during the school year. My uncle and grandparents live down there, so that was also a reason to go. I went to Catholic school and usually we would go in Febuary during Catholic School week which is just a bunch of stupid activities that the whole school does together, no "school" learning is going on. If i went during that week or another my mom would always call in or write a note saying that I would be goint to visit family. The teacher would either give me dittos or pages from textbooks to do or alot of them had me buy this worksheet book that was about 30 pages pretaining to my grade and would ask me to do the book while I was gone and bring it in when I came back as my make up work. Most of the time teachers will just give you work to do if you were missing school, I just always did mine on the plane. Now I'm in college and I just say screw it and not go if I'm going to disney! haha...But if you have children seriously just ask for work for them to do on the plane to make up for missed school

 

[Edeyore]

We actually, usually go to WDW during the school year. Our children get their assignments before we leave and often do a paper on the vacation. We also tend to make our trips a Thursday to Wednesday. This way the children are not out for a full week of school at any time.

 

[bouncingkat]

being a high school teacher, let me just tell you how much of a problem it is for the teachers when kids are out for a week on vacation. trying to catch them up on material is not only hard for the student, but for the teacher, as well! and realize that about 15 other families also do this! i actually dread that every year.

i'm also jealous because, being a teacher, i can't take a week off.

 

[Nemo14]

I have to agree with you there about high school - my kids had enough trouble making up stuff when they were out sick for a day - especially in honors classes. But I think in elementary school, it's not such a loss to miss a week of school for some quality family time.

 

[Disnut]

Here they don't like you to take your children out at all. I do know some that do but we never have except for the last day of school.

 

[Since1976]

being a high school teacher, let me just tell you how much of a problem it is for the teachers when kids are out for a week on vacation. trying to catch them up on material is not only hard for the student, but for the teacher, as well! and realize that about 15 other families also do this! i actually dread that every year.

i'm also jealous because, being a teacher, i can't take a week off.

But you get summer vacation, don't ya? :animwink:

I probably won't take my child out of school when she's in high school -- I know the teachers don't have all their lesson plans planned out in advance for the year.

I'll probably have no qualms about taking her out of school until she's in first grade.