Take kids out of school for trip?

I have never taken my kids out of school for more than a day(outside of being sick)for a family event or vacation. We have an opportunity for a week long trip in the fall. Fall/October is really the only time we would take this trip so we would have to take the kids out of school. My oldest is getting close to high school age, at which point I would not consider taking them out of school. I would never depend on or demand the school work from the teacher for that week prior to the vacation (although I would politely ask well in advance if it’s an option).

Is this ok to do? Is it considered truancy? I am conflicted with making memories as a family for the last few years until they go off to college and genuinely worried this will affect their academics or get in trouble with the school. Life is so short, I want to soak up this time with all of us together as long as I can.

Re: Take kids out of school for trip?

I say take the out!!!!
It is only a week, and sounds like the kids are young enough to miss school. I would definitely let the teacher know weeks in advance for the work. It happens all the time.
You need to enjoy that time with your family.

Re: Take kids out of school for trip?

I always do it, once I year usually if we go to Disney because I refuse to go there during a school break.

My Son is in 6th grade now, we took him out this past Nov. Teachers didn't say anything, some said don't worry we can catch up when he returns and some gave him on-line work which he did on the plane or when we had down time.

My vote is life is too short, making memories is what is important. If the time came and my Son ever said to me he doesn't want to miss school, he feels he would fall behind etc...I would not force it.

Take kids out of school for trip?

I’m a teacher and would take my son out for a week if I could. I however would not expect any work in advance. I teach and usually don’t have my lessons fully planned a week in advance. Like today is Tuesday and I am still working on Friday’s lesson.

Re: Take kids out of school for trip?

I say after the past 2 years we have had - take them out- live your life - a week of missed school doesn't matter, make the memories

Re: Take kids out of school for trip?

My daughter in middle school has specifically told me that she would never want me to pull her out of school because she would be too stressed out missing and making up all the work and everything they learned.
Apparently the work load in middle school is way harder for her.

For that reason i would not- I know she wouldn't enjoy herself and the last thing I want to do is stress her out more when she got back so I could take a vacation


If the kids are in elementary I think it's different

Message edited 3/8/2022 1:15:52 PM.

Re: Take kids out of school for trip?

For me, the max I would pull them is 3 days but I am a little nuts about missing school. I would probably try to plan something around the jewish holidays, Colombus day or veteran's day. We did disney when my son was very young - maybe 1st grade - and he missed three days. Since then I have only pulled them for 1 day around winter break. I was considering pulling them early for spring break but my son's classes are too advanced now even though he is only in 8th grade, it's not an option. But, you need to do what you are comfortable with. You aren't going to get in trouble with the school until you exceed like 20 unexcused absences or something ridiculous like that and realistically they will be able to catch up no matter how old they are.

Take kids out of school for trip?

We pull out all the time.

I wish I had done it more in elementary school as it really doesn't matter but we have pulled my son out of middle school 2x this year. We just made sure to make up all graded work. He missed 2 1/2 days in November and 2 days in January.

Take kids out of school for trip?

If you were taking your kids out for a few days would it be better to miss the first half of the week or the end half of the week?

Thanks

Re: Take kids out of school for trip?

Take kids out of school for trip?

I think it depends on the child, the grade and the teachers. Normally, I never batted an eye at it.
Now that DD is in middle school, we took her out for 3 days in November and she struggled to catch up. She also had 2 tests on material she missed when out and had a hard time with the tests. She asked me not to take her out anymore. And this was with all the work being provided on Google classroom as well as in person.

Re: Take kids out of school for trip?

We pulled the kids in 2019 for a trip to Disney and we are planning on doing it again late fall of this year for another trip to Disney. I don't want to go to Disney during school breaks when its mobbed and I wouldn't be able to stand going in the summer when its 1000 degrees, so we pull them out.

Take kids out of school for trip?

We’ve pulled my DD every year for a few days since she was in K for our big yearly vacation. She’s now in 5th and she just missed 3 days last week. Prior to Google Classroom, her teachers would just send home worksheets and she would do them on the plane. Now with Classroom, she logged on every day and caught up up with anything ghr teacher posted. She even studied for a science test from the posted slides and took the test rhe day she returned back to school.
This may change when she goes into middle school,next year, but it has been fine all through elementary. Go enjoy yourselves!

Take kids out of school for trip?

wow, times have changed, my parents nor my friends parents growing, would never have taken me/us out of school for a vacation.


adding: it's hard for me to comprehend doing this, even for some of the reasons mentioned.

Message edited 3/9/2022 8:36:30 AM.

Take kids out of school for trip?

My daughters are graduating in May - one with her Masters and the other with her Bachelors. The one graduating with her Masters already has a 6 figure job to begin in July; the one graduating with her Bachelors is going to grad school at the London School of Economics in September - since they were in school, I took them out of school on family vacations every year and do not regret it for one minute - the memories and experiences that were created helped to get them where they are now and will go in the future.

Re: Take kids out of school for trip?

Take kids out of school for trip?

In elementary school, absolutely. In middle or HS, for me it's a no because they miss too much work and activities. I do have friends that pull their kids from secondary school and they are fine but you need to ask your kids and make sure they can handle the make up work.

Re: Take kids out of school for trip?

I've always pulled my kids out of school for vacations however, now that my daughter will be in HS in September we won't continue to do that. The high school has a strict attendance policy and quite honestly, the amount of work she'd miss would just stress her out.

Re: Take kids out of school for trip?

Take kids out of school for trip?

I homeschool, but if I didn’t I would absolutely pull my
Child. My parents did it when I was a kid through high school and many of classmates were also pulled for family vacations.

Re: Take kids out of school for trip?

Re: Take kids out of school for trip?

We have taken our kids out of school every fall for a week, since they were born. They are 13, 10 and 7. We also sometimes take a 2nd trip.

To me, life's too short to not make the moments count!

Plus i've talked to a few teacher friends and they say it's better to do these trips in the fall, than in the spring!

But we also are very school conscious and my kids do very well. We ask for school work before the trip and work on while away. My kids are rarely out sick.

The school gave us a problem once. But only for 1 of my kids, which makes no sense. Right before covid, we took a fall trip and then went away in february for my aunts 80th birthday. The assistant principle called me and i pushed back big time and asked that the principle call me. They never did.