Many families have to wrestle with the fact that vacation days from work and school do not line up. Then the choice is either to stay home on a staycation of sorts for the parents, or pull your kids out of school to go on vacation.
There are many things to consider about taking your kids out of school for travel. We have personally chosen to pull our kids out of school to go on family vacations. For us it wasn’t a big deal, because our kids are a) still young, b) doing well at school.
Here are some things you might consider, when making the choice for your family whether to take vacation while school is in session.
Vacation during school breaks
PROS:
- Kids won’t miss school! and they won’t have any work to make up.
- You will be in the good graces of the school secretary.
- You will not need any special permission.
- You will not hurt school funding that is based on student attendance.
- You can take a trip with other friends that are on the same schedule.
CONS:
- Flight are significantly more expensive during school breaks.
- More people are on the road if you’re driving.
- Family friendly resorts and attractions tend to be crowded.
There are obviously many reasons to go on vacation during the designated school breaks. After all, that is what they are for and certainly teachers will appreciate you staying on the planned schedule.
Now let’s explore the alternative and why you may or may not want to take a vacation while school is in session.
Vacation during the school year
If you’re asking if you should take your child on vacation while school is in session, whether you can get in trouble for pulling your child out of school, or if you need a letter to take your kid out of school for vacation, here are some more points to consider.
PROS:
- Off-season is cheaper! This adds up quickly when you are traveling with a family.
- Kid friendly destinations are less busy!
- You can make plans based on what is best for you and your family.
CONS:
- Your kids may have to make-up the work they missed.
- School funding in many places is based on attendance, so you are hurting the budget.
- Some districts have strict truancy laws. Check them out before you plan!
- Special events may not be scheduled as they are only for high season.
For us the decision was easy. The fact is that travel during school vacation time is many times more expensive. I consider a yearly vacation to be highly necessary for my mental health. Given the choice between not going on vacation and my kids missing school, at this point the decision is a no-brainer: Vacation!
Stories from Real Families about Family Vacation Timing
When we went to Mexico, when our son was in first grade, I knew it would be fine, but the school was “not happy” with us. The secretary made a big fuss, saying he needed 90% attendance to be moved up. But I got his school work from the teacher and made him do it (two weeks worth took about 4 hours the weekend we came back). His teacher was pretty rude in her emails, but he had 3 tests the day he came back and got 100 on all of them. I did check the official truancy rules in New York City before we left and while it’s frowned upon, he can’t actually be held back.
Note: This post was first written in 2018. Virtual school in 2020 and beyond has made this question a moot point. You can take your school with you! But also, it looks like things are going “back to normal” for 2021, so this will again be a matter to discuss. 🙂
