Since when do you have to have permission from school to take your own kid out?? Last time I checked, I was the parent and the kid was MY kid. Besides, how many people nowadays make Disney vacation plans on the fly? I know there are some, but I would suspect the majority make reservtions months to a year ahead of time. It's just not very conducive to try to call school and say we want to take our kids out of school to go on vacation...can you tell me a better time of the year to do that?? Most of the time, I'm making reservations before my kids are even in the next grade and have no clue who their teachers will be. Go when you want to go. Let 'em say no...who cares??? And I certainly would not be changing my plans just becuase they don't think it's a good idea. It's not up to them. I know that's a little off the point of this thread, but I am a little confused as to why you think you have to have the school's permission.
Anyway...back to the point. We take our kids out and will continue to do so as long as it does not have a terribly adverse effect. They are still little now (will be 3rd grade and K-5) when we go this November. As long as they are continuing to do well and have no problems making up what is missed, then we will still do it. In high school??? I'm just not sure yet. As others have said, it is totally a personal choice. High school is when things start to get real serious and if I have a child that just does not do well, then I would really have to think hard about it. Do what's best for the child and don't worry about what others or the school think. Also, don't lie. Be up front about what your plans are or you could just say "going out of town" or "vacation". You don't have to mention Disney if you don't want to. When it comes down to it, they can't tell you that you can't go.
Like Monty, I hear what you're saying. No, technically nobody should be able to tell a parent what they can or can't do with their kids. I agree there. It's up to each parent to make the best decisions for their children. Also, like Monty said, the schools can & WILL impose consequences if the students miss or fall behind. Depending on laws and/or how strictly enforced they are where each person resides it's not just failing school or making life difficult that can be the consequences. There's also truancy issues that *can* come into play...when charges are filed against parents, court appearances can be required, fines & jail time can be imposed. It's very important to know all these things when making this type of decision.
My boys are 13 & almost 15, that's 7th & 9th grades. We started taking them to WDW in 2004 and we've never gone during a school break. Both my boys always made excellent grades. My oldest was at one point in the gifted/accelerated program at his school. Taking them out of school for a week in elementary school and early in middle school wasn't much of an issue. Their grades never faltered. When they were in 5th & 7th grades I did see somewhat of a drop in all their classes (with the exception of P.E., of course). We rode the boys a bit harder and pulled them for vacation again in 6th & 8th grades. In spite of their best efforts, the missed instructional time took a toll. Grades dipped again. At the end of that school year for reasons unrelated to travel we withdrew our children from public school altogether. This year we started homeschooling. Yes, homeschooling lends quite a bit of flexibility as far as travel, etc. but taking breaks even for a few weeks does have an impact on the kids' performance. It is H-A-R-D to get them back into the swing of things afterwards!
Also, another bit of insight I've gained from homeschooling is the amount of work it takes to put together make-up/travel work for vacationing students. I was just like most parents who think "yeah, we're going on vacation...the teacher can just send the work they're going to miss with us...it's no big deal" but really, y'all, it IS! First off, every 4 weeks I basically hole up in front of the computer for 2+ days creating daily lesson plans for each subject for each kiddo. That's a LOT of work. When we were going on vacation I wanted to make it so we didn't have to bring all the books for every subject with us so I created another set of plans, made copies, etc. for each subject for each kid. Yeah, that was another 4+ hours of work. Teachers in schools have full schedules designed for them to teach their classes. All the additional time & effort it takes to put together travel packets for each of your kids is a lot more than you'd imagine. Their schedules are not designed for that type of stuff. I would think that the teachers who do actually do this for your students are doing this in their time that they aren't getting paid for. Would you like to work for no pay? No. That's their time for their lives with their families. I know for me that's something I didn't really think about before that I look back on now and think "Wow, I sure had my head stuck waaaaay up there where the sun don't shine".
Before all the stuff came up with us withdrawing our boys from the local public school "club for bubbas" here in our neck fo the woods, the hubby & I were facing some pretty tough decisions regarding when we'd be able to vacation at WDW with our boys. We knew it was becoming far too taxing on them academically to responsibly continue to take them out of their classes for vacations. Yet, vacation time and family time is something we put a very high value on. We've always lived by "family first". What were we going to do? We didn't want their grades to suffer but we didn't want to spend more to do less when we traveled to WDW.
I think this is where a lot of these school vs. WDW discussions never go. I'll be totally honest in spite of how awful the plain truth of it is. There most definitely is a side of me that approaches this parental dilemna like a spoiled child who wants what she wants when she wants it and doesn't care what it takes to make it happen. I want to go to WDW when it's not as expensive, not as crazy crowded, and not as face-melting hot. You're dang right I do. Kids grades might drop? Who cares! They'll get them back up eventually if they fall. I can honestly see where that headstrong little girl stomps her feet and wants her way and says whatever needs to be said to justify getting it. Yep. Ugliness be damned, I said it. There it is.
The fact of the matter is that taking my kids out of school does effect their academics (much moreso when they were in a classroom). Before our situation changed, the hubby and I had pretty much come to understand that for the next 6 or so years we just weren't going to be able to have it our way anymore. It wasn't a fun or pleasant decision. Being a good mom and doing what's best for our boys is paramount for me so it was going to have to be that way. If it meant not going every year and only being able to go every other year, well, that's how it would have to be.
If working around vacation and having flexible school schedules is your primary concern, I do NOT recommend homeschooling as the way to go. It's a tremendous amount of work for all involved. If I had to do all that I do just to make a week or two of vacation happen every year, yeah, you can forget it. I'd never do it. We homeschool because we want our boys to get a quality education in a safe, supportive environment that's 100% conducive to learning with instruction from educators who care and want them to succeed. The vacation flexibility is only a perk that comes secondary and isn't a gimme by any means. We still look at when it's practical academically first and foremost.
When making this decision to pull your kids from school to go on vacation I urge you all to be totally honest with yourselves. Is it better for you or better for your children? From our experience it was very easily done when the kids were in lower grades but it became near impossible by the end of 8th grade. Just be realistic in your expectations of your kids as well as their educators. I think when it comes to our kids these are often the hardest, unprettiest decisions we have to make. I only hope that I'm getting it more right than wrong. Ya know?
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