Letter to School

[Maleficent's Dad]

Wow, a hot topic!!!

No one can decide what a family can and can not do - but you do need to be careful!

Keep a few things in mind:
1. State laws vary greatly as does enforcement of the laws. Some districts follow closely, some ignore.

2. With the "No Child Left Untested (er, Behind)" Laws, schools are harshly penalized for a variety of reasons - including not only test scores, but percentages of absences.

3. NY State has 2 types of absences: Legal and Illegal. This is not up to the school district, but a mandated law. Legal absences are those which are due to illness or death in the family. Illegal absences are all others (and YES, it is that cut and dry). However, districts often do not wish to anger parents, so enforcement of said laws are usually lax.

Big case in the area where I live 2 years ago:
Student (in high school) who was an honor student doing very well went on a "family vacation" and missed 5-7 days of school. 2 Teachers failed him. Parents sued the district. School district won the suit as they were able to show that the absences were illegal. Parents have appealed, but kid is already in college.

Food for thought.

[FenwayGirl]

Great letters. I copied and pasted both to use on our next trip 1-08. My granddaughter (who I am raising) will be dancing in WDW for Magic Music Days in January..

[Auntie]

My brother had a client (he is an attorney) that missed more than the 18 days of schools. The boy was an honor student..and was sickly. I don't remember exactly what was wrong with him..but he was a good student and didn't fail any courses..but the district was saying they were required not to give him credit for the courses he had taken..even though he passed them, because he wasn absent more than the 18 days. The district lost. I don't remember all the specifics. Actually the district is required to provide a tutor for students who are ill and not able to attend school. They didn't want to do this as they new the boy was an honor student..and so around it went. In any case he did graduate.
This happens to be the same district my kids are in..so we are careful about removing them from school. We know they may need the days for when and if they are really sick. As I said..we have a vacation coming up and we chose a week when we knew the kids had a Monday holiday so they would miss only 4 days as opposed to 5. If they miss 5 they have to return with a Dr.'s note.
It is a far cry from when we first started visiting Disney back in the early 90's. Back then my oldest was in 4th grade and his teacher was thrilled for him..and he wrote a report about it upon his return. Times have changed. Now my youngest is starting high school..and it's a different world. It isn't up to the teacher...it's the state and the district depends on the state aid. So...you have a whole lot more to consider.

[mickeys_princess_mom]

I considered starting a related post re: Letter to School (From Teacher to Principal)...Should I tell him where I'm going in two weeks (for three days off after Labor Day weekend....?) But today he calmly mentioned across the table at one of our breakfast meetings that our brand new vice-principal would be out three WEEKS on a "family trip" to Alaska!!! So I just-as-calmly let him in on my trip and he had no problem with it! I knew I was going to like him. Told him I was going to tell the secretary I could feel "Mickeyitis" coming on...

[amyn2610]

My kids were in 8th and 4th grades for our previous trip & will be in 10th and 6th for our next one. They are at their dad's all summer, so the only time I have to take a "family" vacation is during the school year.

I refuse to go when the parks are "crowded" (i.e. Spring Break) and will only travel in January since that was a great time to visit.

Although I didn't have any grief this trip, if the school district wants to give me hassle next time about spending time with my kids then I will hire an attorney and pursue the matter thru the legal system. When do they expect me to be able to do things with my kids who are gone all summer?

[allie_to_you]

Here's my ...

I agree with both sides of the fence on this one. While I think it is polite and a good thing to do to write a simple note to the teacher and administration, informing them of your child's absence and requesting their homework, I personally don't see the need to go into any great detail informing anyone about what you will be doing, what you child will be learning, etc. This is your family vacation, and as long as your child's absences the rest of the year are not excessive and your child make's up the required work, the rest is your business. If you child doesn't learn a thing while on vacation, who cares. This is your trip and it's no one elses business except yours.

[Narawen]

What some people fail to realize is that types of absences that are allowed are clearly stated and will remain that way, no matter what kind of letter you write. If a family vacation is listed under "unexcused", the school cannot make an exception for you.

[realtreebar]

thanks for the info will help us out when going on vacation!

[vamaggie]

Don't know if I really want to jump into this since I lean a bit to "the dark side". I really can't justify taking kids out of school for a week or more every year for a trip. The school attendance limit rules (just like the WDW rules) are just that--Rules. They should be followed or the consequences should be expected. Many folks who seem to think it is horribly wrong for folks to try to allow kids who are not tall enough to ride some rides, or complain about folks who re-use the refillable mugs, seem to think it is ok for them to decide if the attendance rules are ok or not. While we are parents, we still cannot decide which "rules"/laws etc we want to comply with regarding our kids(attendance? seatbelts? leaving them alone at certain ages? driving? alcohol? etc)-we need to follow them or expect to suffer the consequences. If we don't like the laws, work to change them. Just my 2 cents.

[TooGoofy]

Oh, dear.

Seems like there are some of you out there who feel that we teachers are inflexible or bitter about you going on your family vacations. I assure you, that is not always the case.

As a high school English teacher, I often have students who go on family vacations during the school year. No lengthy letters or justifications are required at our school. The student gets a "pre-approved absence form" from our office, and brings it to all of his or her teachers. We sign it, and I always provide homework for the student. (I've been teaching for 17 years, so I know how to plan ahead!) Most of the time I just ask the student to keep up with the reading.

I never expect a gift, though I have occasionally gotten them. If the student is going to Disney, I tell him or her to hug Mickey for me. If the student is going to the beach, I often ask for a sea shell...I have quite the collection after 17 years, and the kids say that they enjoy looking for just the right shell for me. (Last year a student of mine brought me back a shell that had a small hole in it at the top. She put it on a small leather thong for me to wear as a necklace!)

I am sorry that some of you feel like you have to jump through hoops and justify your family time.

[disneydeb]

I think this has been stated before, Attendance laws in different states are different. I think if left, to the teacher most teachers would allow a family vacation. The decision is never left to the teacher and many times not left to the principal. In my state, students are allowed X number of days for unexcused absenses. The rest have to be turned in from a doctor's office, showing that the child was ill.

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

Having just went through this with my kids school since we leave Thursday, I can tell you what I wrote.

Hi Mr (Principal's name):

I hope you had a great summer. We have and everyone is excited to get back to school.

I just wanted to send you a quick email to let you know that Sean (5th), Riley (2nd) and Taylor (Pre-K) will be out of school 9/13-9/21.

I emailed (Sean's teacher) a few weeks ago. She has emailed me back and discussed what work Sean will do while away.

The same with (Riley's teacher) in regards to Riley.

I spoke with Mrs G directly at Taylor's visit to the Pre-K classroom on Thursday.

We will be giving Ms (school nurse) a letter the day before we leave. Since school is closed the 13th, we will send it in on 9/12.

Please let me know if there is anything else we should do. As you know, we take the kids education and attendance very seriously. We will do whatever we can with keeping their assignments current and work missed once we get back.

We are looking forward to a great school year.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely:
Allison (last name)

-The boys teachers are both putting a packet together for them to do while we are away. There is no debate with the boys. They know that if the teacher took the time to get it ready for us, they are doing it. There is never a problem with them finishing it...They know it is expected of them. They also have to read and log each night we are there. Taylor is only in Pre-K so she does not have any homework. The teacher did ask for us to send in some pics for her to share with the class when we got back.
I gave both the teachers the option of giving us work to do while we are gone or putting it aside for when we got back. I know that it is not their resonsibility to do it since we are taking them out. But, they were very understanding and said they had no problem getting some work together for them.
They all know where we are going. I never try to keep it a secret.
Obviously this is always a heated discussion. My answer to that is always do what it right for you and your family. We have taken our kids out and never feel like the school or teachers have to go above and beyond or be 100% okay with us doing it. We have been lucky that it has never been an issue.
Good luck with your letter and have a great trip!!

[merlinmagic4]

I gave both the teachers the option of giving us work to do while we are gone or putting it aside for when we got back. I know that it is not their resonsibility to do it since we are taking them out. But, they were very understanding and said they had no problem getting some work together for them.

This is VERY considerate of you!! I am thinking of my daughter's teacher right now who is teaching second grade for the first time and has 4 kids of her own at home. I think it might be tough for her to come up with it ahead of time. I know she would do it but I will most certainly say that we would be happy to make up the two days my daughter is missing on the weekend we return.

It's people like you who teachers are happy to help out

[TheRustyScupper]

1) We took the kids out of school for EVERY vacation.
2) The kids now take the grandkids out of school for vacation.
3) They write a note and
. . . state it is a vacation
. . . ask for assignments
. . . assure the teacher the work will be done daily
4) They do not
. . . pretend the vacation is educational
. . . give stories like learning from other cultures

NOTE: We have had a few sticky teachers, but we go over their heads if necessary. Family time is every bit as important as education, and more important than 3-5 days of school. The lessons can be made up - the lost family time cannot.

[tinksmom02]

Interesting that this topic should be brought up at this time, I'm sending my letter to DD's teacher tomorrow!

My problem is that she only just started kindergarten last week, and she is my first (and only!) child is the district.

I explained to her teacher that this trip has been planned for a long time, and that this is a one-time trip, not something that will become a habit. I also explained that I wasn't sure what the proper protocol is for announcing that we would be away, and asked for her guidance--do I need to contact the principal, etc? (The school handbook seemed pretty obscure on this. Basically it said, "please try to take your family vacations during school holidays.")

Finally, I asked if there was anything that Jenna
could do during the vacation, I would be happy to work with her, and if there was anything else that the teacher thought we could do, we'd be happy to do it.

I am not asking permission to take her out, and I am going on the assumption that the absences will be unexcused...I just want to give her a heads-up, and if she wants to send work home ahead of time, all the better.

I showed it to a co-worker (whose daughters are in middle and high schools, and who pulls them out at least once a year), and she said it sounded pretty good, so we'll see. I will report back to you about the reaction I get.

Oh, what really stinks, though, is that we'll be in WDW during Back to School night. So I added that in the letter and offered to come in and meet with her, if it was convenient, because I really am interested in learning about the kidnergarten program.

[KAT1811]

Not to be rude, but I don't think by sending a letter to the teachers is asking permission. I would just like to make things easier for the teacher and for my son. I WILL take him either way, this is a once in a lifetime experience for us, going to Disney at Christmas. I am just trying to be considerate to the teachers and hoping they don't hold the absence against my son. He rarely misses school and has always had excellent grade, so I don't see him falling behind without being able to catch up. But thanks for the input!

I would just simply state that you are going on a family vacation and would sincerely appreciate any assistance he/she could give you and your child in preparing for his absence. If the teacher is going to cooperate with preparing assignments a simple, nicely written note sould do the trick.

Our school district has a "no prepared work for unauthorized/unexcused absences" rule, so I am not even giving her teacher advance notice, no need to, I'll just call (like I usually do when we go to WDW) and let them know she'll be out and when she'll return. I'm sure your son will do just fine, prepared work or not.

Family time is so precious and they're only small for so long, enjoy your trip!!! On another thread a teacher posted that she felt it was much more important that her student spend time creating memories with their family than be present for her volcano lecture. She felt that the student could always make up the work but could never make up the memories, those are once in a lifetime. If only all teachers felt like that!!!

[TammiMcMan]

My answer to that is always do what it right for you and your family.

While I agree with this statement and some others who don't want to go to Disney when it's crowded, I think everyone just needs to understand that there may be consequences down the road. It's been brought up by a number of posters, that schools rely on funding and funding is based on average attendance. While your 1 child may not affect the bottom line too much, when they're added to the other 30% of children in your district who also take family vacation time, you're going to notice it. I'm in an area that has once again cut back and this time at the elementary level. They are no longer offering a weekly gym or art class.

As pointed out earlier in the thread by Maleficents Dad, the policies are becoming very clear now and in the case he cited, the schools policy was upheld when brought to court by parents .

Not to be a drama queen or anything, just some things to think about. It is what it is, an unexecused absence and either we're okay with it or we hold off and vacation with hordes of school kids in April or July . Trying to justify it or making assumptions about teachers who don't embrace the idea with open arms doesn't make any sense to me. Unless some people honestly don't understand school funding issues.

For the record, yes, I have taken my kids out of school for Disney vacations. Once they hit middle school though, the best we could do was a 1 or 2 day absence that we tried to work into a long weekend. We left public for private school in high school and they fortunately are not bound by the same funding woes.

[disneyfan328]

I am going to try and keep this short and sweet - My personal opionions are shared between the two sides. Our school district REQUIRED me to write them a letter regarding taking my 2 kids ( K & 2nd grade ) out of school my oldest is in college and they required nothing of her. We have to get approval in order for the abscenses to be excused vs. unexcused. If they remain unexcused, then there is the possibility that every abscence they would incur for the rest of the year would require a dr's excuse. I can't take my kids to the DR every time they aren't feeling well and if they get the flu the dr's don't even want them to come in. I am doing what I have to do now to prevent issues for myself in the future. In any event, I came across the first letter that was posted on another site. While I didn't use it word for word, I did change/add a few things that I personally did (Like for my DS in K I found disney themed alphabet pages for him to use to practice his writing skills during the plane ride as well as some fun geography/math questions for my 2nd grader). While I am with those that side with family time being very important, their educations are as well.

Personally when I thought of education at Disney at first the only thing that I thought of was WS at epcot. After reading the letter that I found, I realized that there are SO many aspects to Disney that you can use to teach your children life lessons (ie. map reading and energy & animal conservation) I took a whole new spin on the vacation and will be teaching my kids through this to read maps and the signs on buses ect. Again that is my choice to do that. While everyone else may not, I see this as a great opportunity to mix fun with education and I for one and going to use it to its fullest advantage.

Normally I do not pull my kids out of school we normally go to the beach in June and we can't go to Disney every year, so I don't feel bad about this at all. If the teachers can give us the work ahead of time, that is great, and if not, then we will get it when we get back. My DD has already asked if she can get a Monkey for her teacher at Ak since her whole classroom in Jungle themed and she loves Monkeys. I told her not a problem. She said that she would even use her Disney dollars to get it so there is a life lesson right there. Caring about others. We will try to find something for DS's teacher as well.

Anyway - remember to keep this civil and don't put down anyone for their choices. They are ours to make and hopefully we will all have well rounded indviduals when they grow up because of EVERYTHING we have done for them, not just the trips to Disney(or for some of us the lack thereof.)

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . why should a teacher, who cannot even think about taking a vacation during a non-vacation week, "jump through hoops" for you? . . .

1) Maybe because they are public employees who are to serve the public.
2) It it too bad that you can't take a vacation when you wish.
3) But, that is the profession you chose.
4) You knew this going in.
5) I am NOT saying to change, just realize the job constraints.
6) There are other jobs that cannot take a Summer vacation.

[mousetrapper]

We just made sure we informed the teachers asap to give them adequate time to prepare assignments for our DDs as necessary. We also sent in a note reminding each teacher about a week and a half prior to our trip. Most of their teachers said, "Go, and have a great time!" and even excused our DDs from various assignments while they were out.

Now that our older DD is in high school (young DD starts HS next year), it doesn't work that way. I mentioned in another post how stressful it was for our DD when she was a freshman and we took our WDW trip. The teachers just said she had to do all the work and that was that. I totally understood that; their job is to teach our kids, not let them off easy. But because it was so stressful for our DD (she had to bring her backpack full of books and work on the plane as well as in our hotel room, by the pool, etc. -- plus make up all tests and quizzes and get class notes from her classmates when she returned -- on top of the new work she got when she got back), we've decided not to take trips during the school year unless it's vacation time or our DDs will only miss one or two days.

Here's the letter we wrote to our DDs' homeroom teachers in anticipation of our last trip:

DATE

Dear Mrs. X:

I want to let you know that we have planned a family trip to Walt Disney World. We believe it is important for us to take this trip as a family, even though it is, unfortunately, during the school year.

Our travel will be from Thursday, September 29 through Tuesday, October 4, 2005. Therefore, DD1 will be out of school for four days. We want to inform all of DD1’s teachers as soon as possible so that she can do whatever is required in terms of work leading up to, during and after our trip.

My intention is to inform each of DD1’s teachers individually. Please let me know if you agree that’s the best procedure. Any other advice you have would be appreciated.

Again, we are excited to have the opportunity to enjoy this trip as a family, but also want to assure DD1’s schoolwork is completed properly. DD1 is a very conscientious student and is eager to do whatever is necessary to stay on track with her studies.

Thank you. If you would like to discuss this, you may reach me or my husband at home at PHONE or via email at EMAIL ADDRESS.

Sincerely,