Kids, school and what they call... a vacation.

The debate of whether or not to take your kids out of school to travel or emergency for a long period of time, is certainly controversial. When is it appropriate to keep kids out of school? An emergency? Vacation? I guess it all just depends on how important it is. After a few months of typical parent and family craziness, arranging and re-arranging multiple schedules, school projects, work demands, kids' extra-curricular activities, more homework than ever, this family emergency is not what we were expecting.
My children have an extremely close relationship and bond with my parents (their grandparents) since birth. My dad and mom were there at both births and has never left there side since the day they held them for the first time. I am privileged to have parents like my own. As some are not as fortunate. So while the family emergency occurred with my dad, we flew to where he was (Florida) and left Friday morning. Due to the circumstances, I am not sure if some agree, maybe to an extent, that keeping them from school was ok. They were out for a week as they could not function otherwise. Our plan was to visit my dad at the cancer treatment center however, the roundtrip airfare turned into a one way and we just arrived today, a week later. Of course as a mother, my responsibilities were to contact the teachers and extra-curricular instructors and I did. They were very understanding as the Principal sent a mass email to the school for prayers and support. After all, my mom did teach at their school for 30years and retired this past year... In this instance this was an emergency and I am so grateful and blessed that everyone was understanding.
Some tips on whether you should do what I did above... Us as parents know that we are not purposely taking our children out of school to travel. Situations and circumstances occur and can happen to anyone. Just make sure you are making it known to all persons of importance.
 
Does Your School Allow It?
Be informed. Does your school have a policy? Most often, schools make these decisions on a case-by-case basis, depending upon the circumstances, but rarely do they encourage travel-related absences. Some schools have non-negotiable attendance rules that forbid it. Others may allow up to five days of missed school for travel purposes. Make yourself aware of your school's policy before making any plans.

How Is Your Child Doing in School?
If your child is already struggling with certain classes and grades are low, taking your child out of school can further disrupt his or her education and make matters worse. However, if your child is excelling in his or her classes and quick to catch up, then it may be okay to consider taking time off to travel.
 
What Grade Is Your Child In?
For obvious reasons, the younger your children are, the easier it is to pull off a vacation during school time. It's fairly easy to pull a child out for a few days in elementary school. Middle school becomes trickier, as students begin to rotate between multiple teachers, and it becomes even more difficult in high school for kids to miss any length of time.

Meet With Teacher(s) Beforehand
 Before, set up a time to meet with your child's teacher(s). Ask, don't tell. No educator will appreciate you waltzing in and announcing you're pulling your kid from class for two weeks to travel depending on the circumstances. Let teachers know what your intended plans are, and ask how you both can work together to make the absence as seamless as possible.