Compulsory Attendance

Don't worry. Take the trip and enjoy. It's just pre-K and kinder. It's not junior year of high school.

Compulsory attendance is meant for the flagrant violators. The families who travel a lot and pull kids from school, the kids who drive themselves to school and decide to skip school regularly b/ they can get away with it.

One of my neighbors used to take her kids skiing all the time at the end of Christmas break, and they'd always miss 3-4 days of the new year at school. Then there were always the days those kids got sick, too, added into that. Nothing happened.

Once my oldest got the flu and high fever real bad. He missed 5 days of school. Nothing happened.

I would think that the school would have to report suspicious absences, but you are letting them know ahead of time. I also think its a good idea to ask about work that needs to be done before you leave. It is only kindergarten & pre-k, so I personally don't think its that big of a deal to have a few unexcused absences. As long as they haven't missed a lot of school already... Go & have fun & don't worry about it!

all it takes is open communication & honesty. Meet with the principal & explain you're taking a vacation. Offer to complete the missed homework prior to leaving, or negotiate a fair due date.

Ok, here is a note for an actual AISD teacher..
She was actually Teacher of the year for her school..

"After a certain # of days absent, the District generates a warning letter. But that's all. Unless it becomes chronic, (ie. missing every Monday and Friday) it really shouldn't be a big deal. I have kids that go on vacations and missed days all of the time. Last year, I did have to file a report on a kid b/c he was tardy every day. Even then, it took an act of God get it approved. In addition, missing school at that age has much fewer consequences than saying missing 4 days in middle school or high school. And finally, if she is talking about missing the week before the Thanksgiving holidays, she needs to know that typically there is no new content introduced that week. Too much excitement and too many kids out. As a teacher, I'd tell her to let her kids' teachers know about it, ask if there is anything they can do to keep them caught up while they are gone and then go and enjoy her trip!

My 2 cents. "

Send a letter that includes all the details but none of the superfluous info
to the principals, teachers, possibly the administrator of school district.
Include that the flight plans/reservations were made before you were informed of the absentee policy.

Perhaps mention, in a separate paragraph,
that you know how important regular school attendance is
and that your plans were neither frivolous or impulsive.
They were made significantly in advance of a long holiday weekend.

Ask for study packets for each child
and commit to following through with studies while you are away.
============================
Adding . . .
I don't think it's a good idea to come up with a non-existent illness.
I think your best bet is to be completely honest and up-front
regarding plans for your trip, et al. That way, you'll be on stronger footing if/when there's any follow-up discussion.
As at least 1-2 moms pointed out below,
the purpose of the rule is to deal with egregious offenders,
not people like you who inform in advance
and are conscientious parents.
Go! Have a wonderful time!
I hope your extended family members
are appropriately welcoming to their new relatives.

Hi, I am also an elementary principal here in Texas. Texas allows 18 absences per year excused or unexcused. That must be a school or district policy because I have kids go to Mexico for a week at a time and I cannot do anything about it. Do not unenroll and re-enroll your kids. You could call your cps caseworker and tell her or him what you are doing so that they know if that makes you feel better. I hope your family has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy your trip!

If they are officially YOURS (aka no longer part of the foster system, but adopted) you don't have to worry :) :) :)

Every school allows a certain # of unexcused absences per year (my school had one of the strictest policies in the country with a 9 day per year unexcused max... it's more common to find a 15-30 days per year). ALSO

CPS is NOT going to get upset about a family thanksgiving trip. ALSO

Just talk with their teachers to get their homework for those days.

If they're still part of the foster system, that's a different balll game, but if they are yours... YOU are the parent, and it is your right to make these decisions.

Btw... THIS is how the gov of Texas feels about homeschooling, which also tips his hand about parental rights to make the decisions they feel best about for their family in regard to education:

The Governor of Texas says: "In Texas, we view home schooling as something to be respected and protected - respected for the energy and commitment of parents; protected from the interference of government. Texas does not index or monitor home school programs." http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/laws/blTX.htm

In PA you are not required to send your kids to Kindergarten let alone pre-K. I just googled if Kindergarten is mandatory in TX and the answer was no but double check. I don't think this should even be an issue for you because of your children's ages. Even if it is an "issue", I don't think I would loose any sleep over one unexcused absence but I would loose sleep over spending $1000 unnecessarily. I agree that this trip is far more important to your children's development than gaining 1 extra day of school. Congratulations on the adoptions and birth of your children!

Are they receiving special ed services at school? Is that the reason why the compulsory attendance laws would apply to your kids? I'm just asking because here in Nevada, there are no laws requiring kids to attend pre-k and they don't even have to attend kindergarten if the parents don't want them to attend. As such, I would argue that the compulsory attendance law should not apply since it is not even compulsory for them to be enrolled in the first place. Just something for you to think about if, by chance, it happens to apply for you there in Texas.

On a separate note, this is a bit off the wall and possibly reaching . . . I would get a note from your children's pediatrician, psychologist and/or social worker stating that it is in the children's best interest and welfare to be able to bond with their new extended family as soon as possible and that the time of your trip is the least intrusive and financially burdensome time for you and your children to go. If you explain your situation with the experts that have helped you with your children's adoptions, I'm sure that they will be most helpful since you are going that extra mile to insure that they feel welcomed and accepted into your family. School officials rarely argue with notes from other professionals. I guess their note would be your excuse.

Hope this helps. Let us know how it all turns out.

To paraphrase, the compulsory attendance law in Texas doesn't apply until a child reaches 6 years of age. However, a child that is enrolled in Kindergarten is compelled to attend on a regular basis. You have the right to withdraw the child from the K-program...but you might have problems getting him/her re-enrolled upon your return.

Your best bet, as others have mentioned, is to work with the school on this and have a plan. It is a little crazy when these sorts of "zero tolerance" policies overrun common sense.

BTW...I got my "hand slapped" by a private school because my daughter missed the first few days of PRESCHOOL due to our vacation. Seriously? Take my money and make a fuss when there is ACTUALLY a problem...lol.

We have a compulsory attendance law as well. However, the schools grant exceptions in certain cases when advanced written notice is given by the parents stating why the children will not be there. Talk to your school. Explain the situation. They may grant you your excused absence.

We did it in September. Took my daughter with us to a family wedding in Colorado and we drove. She was out of school for 6 days. Got a letter from truancy court warning us to not have her miss any more days and a referral for her to Communities in Schools due to my apparent "lack of appreciation for the value of an education." All rubbish, she is in Kindergarten and they were learning about family that week. She completed all the work the teacher gave me for that week, but the teacher didn't want it back. I would do it again in a heartbeat. There is NOTHING that your kids will learn in those 3 days that is of more value than meeting their family. Don't sweat it, it is kind of menacing to get the letter, but it is hogwash, just threatening. I have 2 brothers that are teachers and told me that IF I were to have to appear later in front of a judge to answer to truancy for her, that the judge would laugh at the school district and dismiss. There are people out there that need to be in court, but not parents of Pre-K and Kinder students who take them out for family events. You could withdraw and re-enroll, however, I am not sure exactly what that entails. Good Luck! PS, I think CPS would understand.

I like Laurie D's answer about having the case worker/psychologist/pediatrician writing a note about how important it is for these children to bond with their new extended family. Rarely would a school argue with a note from a professional!

I realize your concern is that CPS would get involved about one unexcused day, especially for Pre-K and K. You probably know that school funding is based on attendance, and if your kids aren't there (unexcused), they don't get money.

I'm assuming that you are still being followed by the foster system? How about talking to them and seeing what their take is on the situation... whether it would get you in trouble and all....

I realize it is easier to ask forgiveness than permission, but you might want to check ahead of time.

Wow. I've never heard of such a thing especially at such young ages. Is it just because they were adopted through foster care? Are all children in Texas subjected to this? I am not sure I would like the state dictating to me how to raise my family. A 4-day family vacation does not seem so damaging to a child that the state has to step in to stop it.

I did a little research on the law and compulsory attendance starts at 6, however if you enroll your child in preK or K before age 6 then the laws apply to them also. It clearly states that vacations are not grounds for excusing an absence.

If the suggestions regarding an independent study packet do not work, I would find out what constitutes an "excused" absence and fake it. For example call the peditrician and say they have been vomitting all week and ask for a doctors note or something. My pediatrician would provide it. It doesn't seem exactly honest, but irrational laws call for irrational actions like fake doctors notes so you can go on vacation. Sheer craziness that the state of Texas can dictate family holiday travels. I think they should at least let a family have one excused vacation per year. Next thing you know, there will be state-imposed bed times.

Compulsory attendance is pretty much the norm in every state and it's usually in place for the families that have children who are chronically absent.
We took a trip after my mother in law passed away and my daughter missed an entire week. However, we talked to the school ahead of time about it. So it wouldn't be all doom and gloom for the kids, we did go to Disneyland, but we also stopped at all the Calfornia missions between there and here on our way home. The teacher gave us a packet of work to be completed. It was simple things, like how was the weather, what was the most exciting part of your trip? What did you learn? My daughter brought back souvenirs and photos from the missions and shared them with her class. I honestly don't remember if the absense was excused or unexcused due to the fact it was tied in with family business after a death, but there were no problems and her grades weren't affected by it in any way. We were just up front about the truth of it ahead of time. My daughter had perfect attendence other than that, so it wasn't a problem.

Just talk to the school and I would think there is no reaon for it to be a big deal or get CPS involved. It it were to become a chronic situaiton, the kids would be considered truant and that's a whole different thing.
Hopefully the school will be understanding.

Best wishes.

Find out if there is an exception for deucational field trips. Make a side tirp for a day to a museum or something like that and call it that.

I've never been through it but what about asking the principal to get the kids curriculum for the days they will be gone and help them with their studies while you are on vacation. Yes they will miss 4 days but if you are teaching them what they would have learned on those 4 days I think it would help. Be nice to the principal and see what you can work out. Good luck.

Look into making it an educational trip as well. Some schools have excused absences for educational trips. Depending on the area you will be going to you could check what the kids will be learning during the time you are gone and see if the area you are in has anything that relates to that. Talk to the principal about that and see if you can work that angle. You can also go to the school board and talk to them about it. If you still have a case worker talk to them as well to get a feel on how they feel about it all.

During the 5th grade, my son missed a week of school so he could visit the Grand Canyon. We met with his teacher before hand and got up and Independent Study Packet for him to work on during his absence. I agree your kids need to meet their family! I wish your principal was more willing to help you find a way around this! Good luck to you. : )

I did this with my 5yr old in Pre-K last year They did send a truancy letter home but I just told the school we had to go out of town and had no one to watch them since our nearest family lived 9hrs away. Nothing happened, hope this helps.

neither Pre K nor Kindergarten are required in Texas. The laws do not pertain since these classes are not mandatory in Texas. Enjoy your trip!

I didn't have the same situation but I know they are serious about it because when my son was in Pre-K he had several really bad asthma episodes that landed him in the emergency room. When not in the emergency room we would call 911 and the paramedics would give him a treatment with meds we could not get the doc to give us a prescription for. It was a nightmare. He missed 18 days in the entire year and had notes for almost all of them....but when you know what is wrong and have the go ahead from the doc to handle it the last thing on your mind is an unnecessary trip to the doc so you can have a note. We got a letter from the police department letting us know our child was truant and that they were reviewing our case before taking us to court. I called the truancy officer up and gave him a piece of my mind. Eventually they dropped it but not before we had a series of meetings at the school with the officer and the teacher. It was scary. I have had some bad run ins with CPS...I know they have to be the way they are because they are trying to help kids who can't help themselves, but it seems to me that they always assume the worst case scenario. I would avoid them at all costs if I were you.

hi there,
I'm not sure if it's the same here in TX, but in most states if your going to keep your child out of shool for a week for ANY reason, you can fill out a paper and home school just for that period of time. The teachers will give you the assignments, you have to have thekids do them and turn them in the day they return. I'm sure the superintendants office should be able to tell you the laws on that here. Good luk,
if that's not the ase here, my only thought is to pulll them rom public school, home shool for a while, then put them ack into public school at a later timee.

I have take my son out of school for a week every year to go to Disney World. We started this when he was in kinder and he is now in 5th grade. We are going back to Disney in May and he will miss a week of school. No one has ever said anything to me ever. I always right a note to explain why is will be absent and give it to the school office when we get back. I do let the teachers know before we go, but not the school. Texas tries to scare parents for some reason,but they are your kids not the school district. I would never let a school tell me when and where my kids can go. It is none of their business to tell you the truth. Take your trip and have no worries about the school. Nothing will happen to you or your kids. Hope this helps!!

I haven't read through all your responses but as a former teacher, I wanted to post and let you know that the school/teacher should be willing to work with you on this. This is family....there is nothing more important than family, imo and the memories the kids will make will be priceless compared to what they would be learning in school.

I suggest talking to their teacher to find out if she can give you any make up work in advance (your kids are pre-k and kinder so it's not like they will miss a history lesson or a lesson that can't be made up). I used to teach pre-k and kinder and always had a travel folder of worksheets that reinforced what we learned/were learning, activities and a journal for the kids to write(draw and parents would write for them) about something exciting on their trip that they could share with their classmates.

I encourage you to find out what activities are around the area you are visiting and turn it into an educational trip for your kids. You can take pictures, have them "write" about their experience and take their report to school to share with their classmates. This is something I encouraged my parents and students to do and feel that the teacher/school should be open to this.

Also, you have a valid reason for your children missing school. It's not like you're keeping them home just because. Families take trips all the time and schools need to be flexible because not everyone can schedule trips over the summer. I would keep them enrolled, let the teacher know how long they'll be out and find out if she has any suggestions for things you can do on your trip....if anything the work/activities from the teacher can used to keep the kids occupied on the plane.

Enjoy your time with family!
Peace,
J.

There is a lot of pressure on the school to keep attendance up and "perfect". Pre-K ought to be no problem. I remember being told for my child in Kindergarten that Kindergarten is not required but, once signed up, I would have to follow the attendance rules.

I hope you find the response from "Lori G from San Antonio" to be a big help. Good luck and have fun on your trip!

Life is short-take them and enjoy!! Make sure you check with CPS-that is priority-not the school. CPS can remove them from you-the school can only scold you. An unexcused absence means they can't make up the work! But you can still help them "learn" the work. In our District, Pre-K is always in demand so checking them out, you might lose your spot when you return.
The rules are just to keep honest persons honest. These rules were also put into effect years ago to avoid child labor and older kids that ditch school.
If you plan to stay at this school for years, you don't want to start on a bad foot so just keep all communication open and follow the chain of command=Principal 1st, then Admin, then Board and finally the teacher (this is out of their control but she can help with subject matter that week-you have a right to see lesson plans).
Congrats on the addition to your family!!

Not sure how this info helps you, but I have a kindergartener in school as well. When I looked at the school enrollment info, it looked as though kindergarten was optional, in that the state only requires that a child be enrolled when they are 6 years old. I would talk to the principal and ask for permission to home school for the week, get assignments from teachers, etc. I agree that you need to do what is best for your family and don't let "the state" dictate when you go on vacation. I know families that go to Disney all the time and take 2 weeks off during the school year, so some how it is possible. There may be some formal document you get in the mail about missing school, but really, I don't think a CPS worker is going to take away your young children for missing school because of a family visit at the holidays. If you still have a case worker, I'd be proactive in notifying them that you will be out of town for a week visiting family, just for the record.

Check with your school. Most districts in TX have a vacation policy where you can take the kids out of school for 5 days straight one time per year. You just get their work in advance. We have done this every year for my son to go hunting with my husband. (We don't have to anymore since we now have the entire Thanksgiving week off.)

My son broke his leg in Kindgarten and missed over a month of Public school. Yes, these were unexcused abscences, however, in Katy ISD at Pre-K and Kindergarten level, it is up to the discretion of the teacher, conselor, and principal to weigh in to see if the child is acedemically able to move up to the next grade. Quite honestly, your children are in Pre-K and K. They are not missing Algebra. You might check your destrict's parent handbook, but missing 4 school days is not excessive.

Clear it with the case worker then go over the individual schools head, such as the Superintendent's office. The school can't really expect to enforce this...there are tons of kids who miss school days for various reasons and I can't imagine them getting into trouble with CPS for being gone from school a few days.

I worked in a facility one time that was a home for adults with Developmental Disabilities. The House Managers were on 7 days then off for 7 days. When they got vacation they should be off for an entire 7 days in the middle so an entire 3 weeks off. My friend had a bad case of Bronchitis and had to be off a day extra one time and they took that day out of her vacation week so she would get paid, they didn't have sick leave. So when her vacation time came around she had booked flights for California months in advance. Our employers told her she would be fired if she did not return to work for that one day during her vacation week, it would be an unexcused leave from work. Needless to say she was willing to let her job go because of their inflexibility. She went out with the intention of not returning that day in the middle of her vacation, making some excuse or another. One of her friends took her to their family doc and he wrote a note that she was unable to fly due to an inner ear issue. They could not fire her due to a doc's note saying she couldn't fly...that was years ago and she still works there.

Could you talk to the teachers about turning your trip into a sort-of school assignment? It seems like if your kids came back and gave a presentation to their class about their trip then all of the kids could benefit from it. You could go on the day of the presentation to help out/answer questions/bring pictures, etc. Then maybe the teacher/principal would be willing to excuse the absences.
Getting a note from a doctor/professional is also a great idea.

I agree talk to the school, teacher etc. If you bring homework with you I'm sure there won't be a problem. You may have to write a letter to the school letting them know whats going on so they have the documentation. I'm sure it won't be a problem!

Actually, kids in TX don't have to attend school until they are in 1st grade, so your kids in kinder and pre-k can miss more than the 10 unexcused absences per year and they cannot do a thing about it! My daughter missed way more than the 10 unexcused absences during both her pre-k and kinder years b/c she had recurring ear infections and other medical problems. I didn't take her to the dr. every single time she was sick to get a note, so she had about 20-25 unexcused absences during both those years. I never once got a call from the school or CPS. Go on your trip and have a great time!

Hi S., I can see how the wording of that rule/law is very intimidating. I always firgured it was technically illegal in EVERY state to keep your children out of school for anthing other than illness or emergency.

Believe it or not, there are families who keep the older kids home to watch the babies, or VERY frequently don't even realize their kids are NOT in school. Neither of theese things applies to you.

While school IS a very important part of a childs life, it's not the ONLY important thing.
Sounds like you are going to have a fantastic trip with the kids. I hope you can enjoy it (relatively) guilt free!

Have a wonderful day!

Speak to the school, you may be able to get these excused. There are special circumstances, and kindergarten is optional in many states anyway, not sure about Texas any more. I would not be surprised at all if you can work it out.

M.

My parents used to take my brother and I out for extended winter breaks and such to fly out to spend time with family out of state. They would arrange to get our assignments we'd be missing while gone and we'd do them while we were gone. We'd leave for a month, 2 weeks would usually be covered by the break but there would be 2 weeks additional. We are in California though. Would they consider working with you in that way? Family is more important IMO. A couple days of school are quickly and easily made up, family time isn't.

So you'll have an unexcused absence. I can't imagine it would become a big deal at all beyond them calling it that. I would NOT change your plans. This is a common sense issue. The kids are only 4 and 5. We're talking about 4 days, not a month. We've always taken our trips on the designated spring break week, and don't pull out are kids on a whim here and there just for fun or to extend a weekend. We try to respect the school calendar. BUT, when my daughter was in 2nd grade, my grandma died. She did have a relationship with her great grandma, and we were all going out of town for the funeral, which was on a Thursday, and due to travel distance and circumstance, of course, staying the weekend with our family. They gave her Thursday excused, but Friday unexcused. How silly. But it really meant nothing, because of course, she did not have any chronic attendance issues. Go and don't worry about the school being so technical.

S.B.,
My children are going to miss 5 days out of 2 school weeks due to illness/impending death of their grandmother. I could care less what the school district rules are. However, the attendance personel at the high school said the absences would be excused. And I do have a high school junior. In fact, I have informed all the teachers that my children will leave before the grading period is over so they needed to complete the work early.
Family is the most important thing. Congratulations on you newly expanded family.
Best of luck to you.
~K.