In Baltimore City, you will be dragged into court if your child misses 20 days of school, excused or unexcused, for any reason whatsoever. Your child could have been run over by a bus and be in the hospital in a coma, and you will be dragged into court for truancy. That's Baltimore City. Other parts of MD are more lenient. I'd withdraw your child formally, and then re-enroll when you get back. Ask the school about the process. You do not want to get enmeshed in the truancy bureaucracy under any circumstances!! Take your child to SE Asia for as long as you want. What a great opportunity and experience. It beats the hello out of kindergarten!!

When my DC was in 5th grade we pulled him out of a FCPS school for a 3 week trip to China. It was likewise in November. We talked with his teacher in September and there was no problem. DC and I did math every day and he made a photo journal. He ended up ahead of where his class was in math. We were a little worried about the legalities, but didn't encounter any ... maybe if we'd had a less sympathetic teacher we would have. GL to you. We would do it all again if we had the chance!

I assure you 3 weeks in SE Asia is a much greater education than 3 weeks of kindergarten or even grade 8 for that matter. This is your child and you do what's best for your child. Don't let your school system tell you what's best. They don't know. Have a great trip!

Call the office of the school where your kid will attend and ask them specifically. They can tell you the procedures, and it will give you a sense of how they approach the issue.

Anonymous wrote:In our school district as long as you have all the paperwork (shot records, health forms, deed or rental agreement) you can enroll the next day.

Wow. Thanks for that info.

In our school district as long as you have all the paperwork (shot records, health forms, deed or rental agreement) you can enroll the next day.

Does anyone know how long it take to re-enroll a student? I'm fine with withdrawing DC but I'm worried about the after effects such as not being able to re-enroll DC.

I'd think you'd be fine for 2 weeks, but 3 is really a bit much.

Good friends are leaving this weekend to take their children to Turkey for two weeks. This is Fairfax, They are getting in the teacher in service days to keep within whatever the number of days is tolerated by the schools.

I have known families who take the kids out for all sorts of reasons up to a couple of weeks at a time.

I say do it if you can.

I still think you should consider shortening the trip. Two weeks should be fine for enrollment though they still wont be happy. You could start preparing for the time change earlier and lessen jet lag. I'm surprised to take sure child so long to adjust. We found the kids usually do better than us adults!

Anonymous wrote:OP here. DC will be attending Nottingham elementary.
I read about being automatically withdrawn with 15+ days of unexcused absences too. I am wondering how much trouble it is to re-enroll upon a 3 week vacation. Worst still, could there be a situation where after 3 weeks, I would not be able to re-enroll due to whatever reason (class size?) I will surely ask the principal what our options are when the time comes. I was hoping that someone had a similar experience and could give some insight.

I'd call now and get some idea. Especially if you have to buy plane tickets for the three of you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They do?

Loudoun has arrested a mom recently for truancy laws. http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/article_dd93fc32-4870-11e1-b8a4-001871e3ce6c.html

I think this case is slightly different. In anycase, I don't want to be arrested ( I doubt I will in my case)

OP here. DC will be attending Nottingham elementary.
I read about being automatically withdrawn with 15+ days of unexcused absences too. I am wondering how much trouble it is to re-enroll upon a 3 week vacation. Worst still, could there be a situation where after 3 weeks, I would not be able to re-enroll due to whatever reason (class size?) I will surely ask the principal what our options are when the time comes. I was hoping that someone had a similar experience and could give some insight.

OP, is the school some type of magnet or lottery only school, or just your neighborhood school.

The school might not be happy about it, but I would definitely take my child on a once in a lifetime trip for 3 weeks to SE Asia! You may need to withdraw her from school for those three weeks -- the school may prefer it so their attendance statistics don't tank. I think that's more of a concern in MD than VA though, due to have schools IN MD are evaluated on attendance stats.

Check with a lawyer, but I believe if you withdraw and go on a trip, truancy laws do not apply.