Up to what grade is it 'OK' to take kids out of school for a vacation?

[Anonymous]

I'm willing to take my kids out for a week of vacation up until high school. They're very smart, though, and get good grades. School is easy for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think if parents want to take their kids out of school for vacations, fine, but don't expect the teacher to prepare lessons for you, or accept late hw or allow a test to be made up or any other accommodations related to an absence for a vacation.

It is very disruptive for a kid to be out of school for a week, so it is selfish to expect a teacher to be inconvenienced further to catch your kid up. You choose to pull your kids out, deal with the academic consequences.

I'm fine with this. Up until high school, grades don't matter much.

[Anonymous]

I'm willing to take my kids out for a week of vacation up until high school. They're very smart, though, and get good grades. School is easy for them.

Strange you would say this and in your very next post on this thread say that grades make no difference.

As long as you decide what's important to you before you take your kids out and stick to it, I don't care what you think. Grades make no difference? Cool. When your kid gets a D for not participating in class and turning in assignments, you won't care. Alternatively, your kids are so smart and school is easy? Great. Hopefully they will pull great grades to cover for the zeros they will get while you are on vacation.

[Anonymous]

If DC can miss a week of school without a problem it's time to find a better school. If DS missed a week of school it would be very difficult to make up what he missed and that was true in third grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am old school. We only travel on school breaks. I teach from Kindergarten on that school/education is supremely important. My son had perfect attendance this year. I don't let them stay up late on school nights either.

There is a disconnect these days. Our Principal routinely has to send emails and letters admonishing family for continually taking their kids out of school for vacations. It is crazy to me. They get many 4 day weekends, week at Xmas and ov spring break and 2.5 months in the summer.

I think you need to have your kids respect and value school starting at the beginning.

Not everyone can afford to vacation on spring break or winter break, besides getting off work then when spouse is law enforcement. I say early education you can miss a week.

How about the entire summer? Not everyone needs to go on winter/spring vacation.

[Anonymous]

What do you do when your high schooler doesn't think she has to go to school regularly bc mom and dad have taught her tht when it is convenient for them, it is ok th skip school?

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you do when your high schooler doesn't think she has to go to school regularly bc mom and dad have taught her tht when it is convenient for them, it is ok th skip school?

Hey, if my kid can keep up with her schoolwork and shows up for tests and gets at least 90 or above on them then it's okay with me if she wants to treat high school like college. She'll just have to realize many teachers take off points for lack of participation, but again, if they can figure out a way to maintain a 90 or above despite not showing up it's fine. However, I don't think this will be an issue for either of our girls, as they're both super social and view school as a way to spend six hours a day with friends.

[Anonymous]

As a former kindergarten teacher, I was always completely fine with family vacations, I always asked them to bring back something interesting to share. But then again, I'm a fan of the 'unschooling' approach and think there is so much a kid can experience by exploring their world (even in Disney World) that they just don't get from being in a classroom.

But I think it does depend on the school and the kid. I remember being aware of when it became necessary not to miss something in school, but I feel like that wasn't until high school, atleast for me.

My cousins ages 6-18 miss 5+ days every year for family trips, athletic events, dance competitions, and they go to a small private school where its encouraged and the teachers are able to 'catch' them up when they get back, which is easier with class sizes of 10-12 kids than it would be in larger schools.

[Anonymous]

We are taking our kids out of school for a week for disney, the summer is to crowded to enjoy Disney and my work would not allow me time off. We have notified both kids school a first grader and a 7th grader. I am not worried about the first grader I am concered about the 7th grader keeping up but its early enough in the school year it should not be a problem.

[Anonymous]

We are taking our kids out of school for a week for disney, the summer is to crowded to enjoy Disney and my work would not allow me time off. We have notified both kids school a first grader and a 7th grader. I am not worried about the first grader I am concered about the 7th grader keeping up but its early enough in the school year it should not be a problem

A couple of days and a week are quite different. I think it sends a wrong message to a child--no matter how smart. Especially for a trip to Disney.

[Anonymous]

I could use a trip to Disney RIGHT NOW!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children have one job in life and that's school. They get guaranteed vacations, but school is not optional or that thing you do when there isn't something more fun you could find to do like going to Disney or watching TV or going to the beach or sleeping or deciding not to go today because to don't feel like it. Our kids go to school unless school is out for vacation. I think the problem is that unless kids go to school when school is in session we're teaching them a weird sense of entitlement and that school isn't important. When school is less important than vacation kids learn the wrong message.

I don't think people are saying that school is less important than vacation. They are saving that school is less important than family bonding time (even if it is at disney).

Families have the option of bonding during school vacations.

+1. You don't have to pull your kid out of school when it's in session to bond.

What if the parents have jobs with a slow time that doesn't coincide with the school vacations? or what if that's the only time Grandma can join them on the Disney trip? or a million other reasons that might make sense for the family.

Bond on the weekends. Fly grandma to you. School is in session only 180 days/year (DCPS). That means that there are more days out of school than in school. You SHOULD be able to figure it out.

I'm so happy that in the years since this post was written, America has moved beyond the issues that made your statement seem so Marie Antoinettesque back in 2012.