Texans think twice about taking your kids out of school for WDW..

[DreamingofDisney]

a new state law just went into effect Sept. 1. The gist of it is that if a child has more than 3 unexcused absences in a 20 day period, you will be sent a letter by the state asking you to appear in court. I think the maximum fine is $500, however I was told it could be as little as $25, depending on the judge.

Unexecused absences are for illness w/ dr. note, illness or death in the family, quarantine, weather or road conditions, etc. Trips to WDW, or other vacations, despite educational value are considered unexcused and you will receive the letter.

I was told that this law was really meant to curb highschool kids who cut class, etc. by making parents aware and accountable. My daughter is in kindergarten, reads very well, can already tell time, and can add/subtract! Needless to say I was not very happy about this as our trip will be with grandparents & other family she hasn't seen in a year. Our reservations were made last January!! If my child were struggling I wouldn't even think of taking them out of school.

We vacation "off-season" because that's about all we can afford. Besides who wants to pay twice the price for three times the people during "peak" season!

Anyone else have this kind of problem with your school, district or state??

 

[Jackie H.]

Actually, we have the same or at least a similar law in Alabama. BUT! In our school district (and maybe all over the state, who knows) the principal can deem the absence "excused". We have gone during school times for our last 2 trips. I would approach your child's principal and see if she/he has that option. I talked with our principal as soon as I knew the trip was a sure thing (even if it was WAY in advance.) The principal would give me his verbal agreement and tell me to give him a written notice a few weeks ahead of time. He would also instruct me on how to deal with the teachers about missed work. He would then sign my written notice as "excused absence" and that was taken care of.

Let's face it, your school reports to the state what is excused and what is not. The state doesn't know why the kid is absent until the school tells them why. I would immediately make an appt with the principal and see if she/he can help you.

 

[Planogirl]

Our district (Plano, Texas) has apparently had this rule in place for quite a while and they're pretty zealous about enforcing it from what I understand. They also count being late without an excuse as an unexcused absence. I hate to hear that this madness has spread.

 

[CarolMN]

Does that law even apply to kindergarten? In Minnesota, I don't think parents are even required to send their children to kindergarten. Most do, of course.

What does the law say about home schooling? Is that allowed in Texas? If so, wonder how they apply the law to that?

Even though I personally don't think it is right to pull children out of schools for vacations (even to WDW), I don't think taking a child out of kindergarten should be against the law. Parents should be allowed to do what they think is best for the child and the family.

Hope everything works out for you.

 

[DreamingofDisney]

It doesn't sound like the principals really have much of a say in the matter, however, we all know that this will probably be handled somewhat differently from district to district, even though it is a "state" law.

Kindergarten is not compulsory, so I guess technically we may be off the hook. Home schoolers don't receive government $, so they wouldn't be held to the law. I doubt that private schools are required to follow this law as they don't receive government $ either. This is all about MONEY!! I had friends who home schooled and they took their family to Europe for an incredible trip, but that's not educational anymore!!

We used to have year-round school which was wonderful for this very reason, but the loudest voices were heard and now we are back to traditional schedules. I wonder if there might be a renewed interest in year-round school when parents find out about this.

 

[MiknMinMouse]

I know Texas is very strict about their absence policy period. I went to HS there and was actually in the hospital for 3 weeks. My parents got a letter saying that child protective services was going to visit them if they didn't see that I was in school. They had already talked to the principal, etc. to tell them what was going on. Thankfully it didn't go further than a couple of threatening letters from the school district, but for pity's sake I was in the hospital. That was the only bad thing about going to school in Texas for me.

 

[cboudre1]

I think these laws are springing up everywhere. Saratoga NY has teamed up with the District Attorney's Office. 20 days and the school refers the family to the DA. 30 days and they can be charged. It is a criminal offense. Most people didn't hear about the law until the first week of school.

 

[Barb D]

Have you considered home schooling her? It sounds like you've done it already! From what I understand you don't even have to notify anyone in TX that you're homeschooling. You could just withdraw her from Kindergarten.

 

[DreamingofDisney]

I have a teaching credential so I wouldn't hesitate to home school if I felt her academic future were in danger. My daughter absolutely loves school and we would have a MAJOR revolt on our hands. At this time, there isn't any real reason to home school. I just wish that there were a little "wiggle" room for parents to work with their local school & principal.

 

[mommanne]

I'm taking my kids out of school next week to go to Disney World, with happy approval from the school.

If they told me they would charge me, I would do it anyway. I'd love to see a judge sentence or punish me for taking my kids on a family vacation. Texas isn't a police state (per se, LOL) and I would do whatever I wished, in protest. I won't have my state telling me when I can go on vacation.

With all the truly neglected and abused kids in the system, I think our kids are pretty darn lucky, and the state and school need to recognize OUR rights, as parents.

 

[Planogirl]

You sound like me mommanne. My problem is that DH isn't quite as rebellious as me.

Our school sent a form home that basically said that we agreed to be fined if our son was absent without excuse for a certain number of days. I threw it in the trash. Our son brought another one home but gave it to DH. I told DH that I would not sign it even though it asked for both parents' signatures. But he signed it and returned it.

Now I wonder if only he can be fined? It would serve him right.

 

[CarolMN]

Planogirl -

You've got me curious. What did the form say would happen if you didn't sign it?

I, too, think I would be hard pressed to sign something that said I "agreed to be fined if .....etc. " But my DH would probably sign it.

Carol

 

[DreamingofDisney]

If a fine were the only consequence then the maddness stopped, well OK.
This is a new state law and it is a misdomeanor (sp) and could have far reaching consequences, such as Child Protective Services, etc. etc if you were to do do this year after year. I don't know for sure, but this is beyond a "district policy." Signatures on a form aren't necessary, because it's the law!

I love to vacation "off-season" for not only the financial reasons, but if the crowds are less, then your family time is better quality. There's nothing worse than fighting the crowds with little kids. Especially, hot, tired kids!

I know that their intentions in passing this law are probably good, however, there doesn't appear to be any flexibility, at least for the moment.

Thanks for all of your comments.

 

[M&C'sMom]

I received our district handbook in Aug. and checked again today and it didn't say anything about this new law. I also checked with other families out here in Clear Lake and no one else has heard of it either. We are taking our DS (1st grade) out for a week in Dec. for our first ever family trip. As a former teacher, I thought a family trip was educational and important and was happy to provide assignments. I know we won't be doing this yearly. I will plan to talk with the principal, though. Our trip's paid for and so are the plane tix. We're going!!

 

[DreamingofDisney]

M&C'sMom, Our 2001-02 district handbook has the old policy, so it was outdated info. Here it goes about the new law:

The Texas Education Code (TEC) 25.095 states that if a student is absent from school on 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-month period in the same school year or on three or more days or parts of days within a four-week period:
1) The parent is subject to prosecution under Section 25.093B of the Education Code for failure to require the child to attend school as required by law and
2) The student is subject to prosecution under Secion 25.094 of the Education Code. (I'm assuming this is refering to older kids.)

In speaking with our district person, it sounds like "unexecused absence" is not open to interpretation from school to school or district to district. I'd love to hear what your principal has to say.

This is truly a "follow the money" law!

You'll love WDW it is such a great place!! It's a great learning place too!!

 

[lab3]

This is one of those situations that make me glad my kids go to private school! Parents need to be allowed to make decisions about their own children. My parents believed that travel offered educational benefits that supplemented what we learned in school. My mom often fought with administration about what should be considered an excused absence. We made A's, so they couldn't ever say travel was hurting our grades. I think it is sad that the state is trying to tell us how to raise our kids. I hope you find a solution that meets your needs. Best of Luck!

 

[Carl]

A similar law has been on the books for about 20 years. When the law first went into effect, I heard teachers tell parents to NEVER admit they were taking their children out for an unexcused absence. You know something like the following conversation.
Mother: We want to take Freddie out of class for a few days to make a vacation trip.
Teacher: You say your son is coming down with something and he may be out sick for a few days?
Mother: No, I said that we wanted to take a vacation trip.
Teacher: State law says that a child can only be absent for illness or they may fail the grade. Isn't that what you told me - that Freddie may be sick for a few days?
Mother: Oh, yes. I see what you're saying. Freddie does seem to be coming down with something. But, I'm sure he will be feeling better in about 4 days.
Teacher: O. K. Then I'll see Freddie next week.

Of course there was no requirement for a doctor's confirmation of illness. If that has been added to the law, it could cause some additional problems.

Now, as an outside observer. (I'm now retired.) I notice that there seem to be numerous 3 day, 4 day, and even week vacations throughout the year. MANY more than when I last taught. Surely, even if the new laws are much more stringent, you can find time during these frequent holiday periods to take your trip to Disney. This probably will not work if you are a teacher yourself, since many of these "holidays" are NOT for the teachers. The teachers have workshops and meetings during many of these periods when the students are out.

 

[Planogirl]

That's just it. The form didn't even mention what would happen if we didn't sign which is why I decided to just throw it away. But DH is one of the world's go-with-the-flow kind of guys so there was no way he would rebel. Unlike me!

 

[dzneprincess]

LOL... I just can't understand rules such as this. I feel that if my child is making A's and is not behind on any schoolwork, that I should be able to take him where ever I please. I would hope that I, as a parent, would make an informed decision as to whether or not missing X amount of days would be detrimental (sp?) for my child's education. If there is a law like that here, then I have not been made aware of it. I do know that our school system allows 20 absences per school year, excused or unexcused makes no difference. I just can't see someone getting in legal trouble for wanting to spend some family time with their children. With most of society being a 2 income family, it can be sometimes impossible to get a matching vacation period in the summer. My husband and I both worked for the same company, he with 8 years of svc, and I with 4 years.Vacation selection is based on seniority. Of course the 1st weeks to go would be summer weeks. Believe it or not,by the time it gets to us, all that is left is Sept-October. We work hard all year, and generally only see our children a few hours a day, after we get them from daycare, eat dinner and put them to bed. I feel, when our vacation rolls around, I should be able to take them for the full 2 weeks if I want to. I have always said that if the school system ever gave me a hassle, I would have to homeschool. I would hate to do it, because my kids love the school enviroment. Anyways, thats MTCW

 

[DreamingofDisney]

Remember this all goes back to money. If kids are in school or have an excused absence then the school gets state and federal money. If kids are out or parents don't send in notes to make the absence "excused" then the school gets no money!! That's my understanding!! Just follow the money trail!!