Newsletter 11.06

Students & Family Trips: Truant or Excused Absense?
As the November and December holiday seasons begin teachers and principals face the unenviable task of dealing with parents who want to take their children out of school for oftentimes very good reasons.

Consider the following:
  • A parent calls the office informing school that Johnny will be absent during the first week of December to go on a family trip to Hawaii. The parent confides "the air fares are cheaper."
  • A parent calls the principal to explain that Leroy will be going to visit his grandfather and will miss about four days of school.
  • Therese hands her first period teacher a note from her mother: "please give my daughter all of her assignments for next week as she will be going on a family vacation."

"I'm between a rock and a hard place on these issues" complains one principal. "The school is being set up to be the bad guy here. We explicitly prohibit missing school for family trips. But when a mom or a dad says they need to visit grandma...."

Schools are reporting more instances of students missing school for such trips. 61% of parents who travel say they would take their student out of school for a family trip (up almost 25% in the past five years). Why the large number? Parents gave the following reasons:
  • Better travel deals during the off-season
  • A need for more "family time"
  • Easier to coordinate vacation time for working parents
  • Business meetings and conferences are being held in "family friendly" locations
  • Not much happens in school during that week anyway

The problem is compounded as teachers and administrators face more pressure under the No Child Left Behind Act to make sure children perform well on standardized tests.

What's an educator to do?

First, it's a good idea to understand the point of view of the parent. You might take a look at the following sources:
  • Have Students, Will Travel
    An article in Hemisphere Magazine summarized one parent's thoughts regarding student absence due to trips. The article attempts to provide a balanced view of the subject and includes suggestions and sources.

  • Disneyland Forum
    Disneyland has a discussion board where many adults exchange views on the theme park. One forum addresses this question: "Has anyone here taken their kids out of school for a disney trip?" To get a sampling of parent views on the problem, look at their answers.

  • Should children play hooky to travel with their families?
    The article at SmarterTravel.com also tries to present a balanced view of the problem, but in the end, the author/parent concludes "Some parents who have opted to let the kids play hooky (me included) believe travel is educational, especially if there's a concerted effort to teach the kids along the way."
Second, it's a good idea to examine policy. Does your school have one? Does it need to be changed? Do you need to re-define terms? Is missing school due to family vacations considered "truancy?"
  • Triumph Over Truancy: Tips for Improving Student Attendance
    Greater learning, a brighter future, less delinquency, and more funds for schools -- there are countless benefits to increased student attendance. So schools from Washington to California to Hawaii are taking a fresh look at an old problem and coming up with novel approaches to resolve their truancy woes. How are they doing it, and will it work for your school? Included: Three steps you can take today to improve student attendance.
  • Midterm Vacation: Travel-and-truancy tips from FamilyFun
    Although written with a bias toward taking the trip, this article promotes a positive and partner approach between school and family.
Third, communicate with other educators in other school districts. How are they handling the problem? Are their policies successful?
  • The Varied Causes and Consequences of Truancy
    Take a look at some guidelines presented by the U.S. Department of Education. The article starts with this: "Truancy is not the problem -- it's an indicator of other problems. When students aren't in school, we need to understand why they stay away before we can effect solutions."
  • Take a quick survey (seven questions) on how your school handles the problem. View the results of the survey.

The Advantage Press, Inc. publishes a number of behavior packets that can help students assess their own social and emotional problems. You are welcome to try our free samples.
This newsletter is freely distributable.

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