PK3 absences

[Anonymous]

I saw some old threads on this which turned political (surprise) but wondering if anyone has any experience on the subject: What is DCPS's policy on absences in the PK levels? We are lucky to have jobs with remote-working flexibility, so we have historically taken a few weeks through the year and worked from my parents' in Florida. A week at labor day, a week at memorial day, etc etc. We know that this will end come K time, but are hoping to get away with it for a couple more years before then. We take our son out of his play based preschool, and no one minds at all - the comings and goings are seamless.

I read that the DCPS truancy policy only applies for kids age 5 and up, but wondering what people's real-life experiences were and if you've had any troubles.

[Anonymous]

If you are OOB and have a certain # of absences or days tardy, you may not be allowed to reenroll and you would need to go back into the lottery.

If you are at a charter, charters can enforce attendance policies and not allow your child to reenroll.

[Anonymous]

It is a real Fuck You to the rest of the class if you do the Labor Day trip when the students are still getting acclimated.

[Anonymous]

Definitely do not do it at Labor Day or any time before count day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I saw some old threads on this which turned political (surprise) but wondering if anyone has any experience on the subject: What is DCPS's policy on absences in the PK levels? We are lucky to have jobs with remote-working flexibility, so we have historically taken a few weeks through the year and worked from my parents' in Florida. A week at labor day, a week at memorial day, etc etc. We know that this will end come K time, but are hoping to get away with it for a couple more years before then. We take our son out of his play based preschool, and no one minds at all - the comings and goings are seamless.

I read that the DCPS truancy policy only applies for kids age 5 and up, but wondering what people's real-life experiences were and if you've had any troubles.

I am frequently out of town and deal with the same things. I haven't had an issue with the school. Knock on wood.

[Anonymous]

We kept DC home a lot in PS3 due to colds and not wanting to overburden his system. Probably had 10 absences in winter. We got a form letter from the school social worker because the quantity of absences had triggered an alert. Obviously it was ok but I'd hesitate to take a kid out for 3 whole weeks of the year. Maybe 2 if the school was cool about it (I know a PS 3 kid in my school who does this and it seems fine).

[Anonymous]

I know some who've gotten away with this but then, every so often, there are highly publicized cases (including a recent one from Brent), where someone is being dragged before social services. I think that one involved a child in K and up. Another consideration of whether you'll want to take the risk of becoming such a case is whether you're OOB or IB. The rules are clear there and if you're at a popular school, whether others are vying for your spot, the principal will not hesitate to apply them: Racking up unexcused absences - and these will be and they'll be recorded as such - can mean you forgo your spot.
Most importantly, it's worth considering your child's sentiment in all of this. If he/she is outgoing and savvy, then arriving a week late or missing a week of instruction won't phase him/her. If not, that might make all the difference between feeling comfortable in a new environment or having a stressful transition, in the case of Labor Day for example.

Meanwhile, please consider becoming an advocate for year-round schooling. How much better off would we all be if the days these kids spend inside and outside of school were better distributed over the year. I'd love a meaningful fall break or another Winter Break Week, and a substantial Spring Break etc. The rest of the developed world operates that way; why can't we.

[Anonymous]

Not being political, but here's the thing: you're now attending public school, whether at a charter or DCPS, using public resources. That means you follow their attendance rules, which include a limit on unexcused absences. If you want to take a lot of vacations and pull your kid out whenever you want, you'll need to do that on your own dime--i.e., private school. You may not think of PK3 or PK4 as "real school," but the District does.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you going to your IB school? If so you will get irate calls but will be fine. If you are OOB, they will let you stay through the end of the year, but they can take away your spot next year.

[Anonymous]

I would probably not plan to make a habit of this. When we were in a charter school PK3, we took a long vacation and also arranged for our PK3 student to miss school once a week for religious education, but we did it with the explicit permission of the executive director before we enrolled. If it's important to you, I would discuss it with the principal ahead of time. You definitely run the risk of getting booted out if you are OOB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not being political, but here's the thing: you're now attending public school, whether at a charter or DCPS, using public resources. That means you follow their attendance rules, which include a limit on unexcused absences. If you want to take a lot of vacations and pull your kid out whenever you want, you'll need to do that on your own dime--i.e., private school. You may not think of PK3 or PK4 as "real school," but the District does.

OP here. I get that with ages 5 and up. But I cannot find an attendance rule anywhere for PK3 and PK4. So my understanding is there is no rule to break. Clearly, my first post was asking people of they knew of any such rule, in which case I would absolutely abide by it. But to the extent there is no such rule, and the school therefore doesn't really care, and it works for my son and our family, I'm not sure what the problem is that we get some amazing quality time as a family.

Other people mentioned that this is more of an issue when you are OOB -- but there isn't really a concept of OOB and IB at the pre-K level so not sure if this rationale applies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not being political, but here's the thing: you're now attending public school, whether at a charter or DCPS, using public resources. That means you follow their attendance rules, which include a limit on unexcused absences. If you want to take a lot of vacations and pull your kid out whenever you want, you'll need to do that on your own dime--i.e., private school. You may not think of PK3 or PK4 as "real school," but the District does.

OP here. I get that with ages 5 and up. But I cannot find an attendance rule anywhere for PK3 and PK4. So my understanding is there is no rule to break. Everyone on here who's warning me against this seems to be looking to the K and above anecdotes. Clearly, my first post was asking people of they knew of any such rule applying to PK, in which case I would absolutely abide by it. But to the extent there is no such rule, and the school therefore doesn't really care, and it works for my son and our family, I'm not sure what the problem is that we get some amazing quality time as a family.

Other people mentioned that this is more of an issue when you are OOB -- but there isn't really a concept of OOB and IB at the pre-K level so not sure if this rationale applies.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm not sure why you don't think IB/OOB don't apply to PK3/PK4--although they are not mandatory grades and you have to lottery in, they are still distinctions, and IB students have more rights than OOB students with respect to unexcused absences.

Here is the absence policy for the DCPS parent handbook:

"Attendance
Regular school attendance is required by DC law for children ages 5 to 18. Although not required by law, it is just as important for children ages 3 and 4 to have regular attendance as well. Attending school every day and on-time is critically important and has a huge impact on learning from kindergarten through high school. Even as children grow older and become more independent, families play a key role in making sure regular attendance is a priority.

Some absences are unavoidable but when a student misses too much school—excused or unexcused—they
can fall behind academically. Students are much less likely to succeed when they are chronically absent and/or miss 18 or more days in a school year. Students who miss more than 20% of their scheduled periods in a school day will, by law, be considered absent for the entire day.

If your child received a seat through the out-of-boundary lottery and has 10 unexcused absences or 20 unexcused tardies, they may be asked to return to their neighborhood school at the end of the school year."

See http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Files/downloads/COMMUNITY/Parents/DCPS%20Parent%20HandbookEnglishweb.pdf

[Anonymous]

FWIW we have taken family vacations for 2 weeks twice in February and have never been approached by anyone from social services. This was for 2nd and 4th grade years. We did give the school a heads up and for the 4th grade year given a small amount of work to do. There were robo calls for most of the days informing us that our kid was not in school.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for year round schooling!

I would not publicize nor advocate your plan to work remotely in Florida and have your child(ren) miss school, even at PS3 and PK4. If that is your plan, please do stick with your private school where it is not an issue.

We've been at a HRCS the past two years, had our shares of missed days here and there, but don't abuse the system either. Students who have needed to miss extended periods are more likely to be in favor if it is to travel far for specific events, e.g. weddings, funerals, etc. rather than for the parent's enjoyment of Florida.