Would you allow your kids to skip school for special events?

Yup, if I had any.

It depends on the event. If it were something like having the day off to watch the first manned flight to Mars as a family or for a state funeral of a great person then yes.

A few years ago in Australia a political party started up that among other things, wanted to treat all Australians equally which would mean the scrapping of race based benefits in favour of needs based benefits. The two major parties stirred up public opposition to this party by saying their proposals were racist!!? Schools allowed students to attend 'demonstrations' where people who wanted to listen to what this party was saying were spat on and had condoms full of urine thrown at them. That behaviour was not questioned by either of the major parties. This year there were public protests opposing globalisation's exploitation of the poor outside a meeting of some rich and powerful people in Melbourne VIC. Students asked to be permitted to attend these protests. The leaders of both major parties (IMF and World Bank sycophants) called such protests by students "un-Australian" and many parents and teachers refused permission for the students to attend. I think students are being manipulated by parents and political parties and there should be a ban on all students attending demonstrations during school hours.

Yes. If I don't, they'll pobably do it anyway. I would.

You would? Can you adopt me?

Depends on their attendance record and their grades. An 'A' student with a great attendance record can afford to miss a day. A kid that's barely squeaking by with low 'D's who has missed too many days would be best off avoiding the event.

I remember, when I was in school, kids getting out for a week during the winter to take family vacations to florida. I could never believe their parent's allowed this.. even when I was a kid.

Yes, depending on the event and if it is beneficial to them.

Why the fudge not?~

I am a kid and my mom lets me skip for special stuff only if i haven't missed alot and i am doing well at school.

My daughter is usually pulled from school, with advance permission and homework assignments in hand, for a 2 week trip to Florida each spring to visit her Grandparents on her father's side. She has done this each spring and is a good enough student not to get behind. She loves to travel on a plane and gets to do Daytona and Disneyworld each time. I see it as a reward for her being such a great kid and a good student. I don't consider this "skipping". That sounds negative.

Why not? I would have loved this when I was a kid, but we were dirt poor and never went anywhere It hasn't affected Mallory in a negative way to be pulled out of school for two weeks each spring for a family vacation. She's at the top of her class and other than this two week period she usually has perfect attendance. She completes her assignments while away and returns to school sometimes, like last year, ahead of her classmates. I really think it would harm her to be left behind while her dad and his new wife and child go off to Florida without her. She'd feel left out and miss out on some really great and rare recreation time with her dad.

This pasr Friday, the Charlie's Angels movie opened, and as I wlaked in the door, there was a LONG line of people, who had pulled their kids out of school for this dipcrap movie! I would hardly consider Charlie's Angels an event.

For one, our school didn't give the assignments to the kids ahead of time, so they had to catch up after they got back.. putting them behind the other kids. The teacher sometimes spent more time with them because they were behind. Also, I think if children attend year round school (which I think is a great idea.. would prepare kids more for the working world), vacations during school would make more sense. Children get out of school for a week in winter, a week in spring, and 3 months during the summer... there are plenty of opportunities for vacations. But, since you say your daughter completes her work, she doesn't really fit into my complaint.

Personally I think it's a bad idea because as they points out there are plenty of other opportunities for holidays and in addition because it is disruptive to other students. Personally I will never approve of holidays during school time, but nor would I try and stop it or support legislation that does so.

Were they actually there with their parents? Because I've not gone to school so I can see a movie, but I certainly didn't have permission, and I definatley didn't go with my parents.

and sup...well, it doesn't seem to work out to fit the trip in each year during winter or spring break. Her father cannot seem to ever plan the trip for during those times, which personally, I would rather have him do. I have to choose my battles with him, and if I was to step up and say, "Hey, You can't pull her out of school this year because you should plan your time off around her school vacations.", He'd basically laugh at me, pack his wife and baby, and go without her. I'd also get flack from the Grandparents waiting on the other end for her. It's not worth all that negative energy for me to refuse.

Luckily....she is a good student because if she wasn't..I'd have no choice but to be the bad guy and say, "No, you can't go and play in Florida because you aren't taking care of your one main responsibility here, school."

I totally see where you both are coming from though. Thanx for the discussion

I can't believe that parents would allow their kids out of school to see a movie that also shows during off school hours. Doesn't it play in the afternoon and evening? That seems a bit much.

At some places, they don't even let you in during school hours. They wouldn't let me buy candy once.

School ranks pretty low on the list of important activities that my kids should be doing. I think I could easily teach my kids more that any public school.

Depends on the event!

if there is a funeral or something

yep. They were there with their parents. 99% of 'em anyway.

Yes, but if schools are allowed to define special events, an idea suggested by a teacher I once had, children could end up missing events that would have serious impact on their lives. I mean, I'd pull my son out of school while his cat was giving birth. I'd count that as a special event, wouldn't you?

Wow. That's really weird. My mom would die before I skipped school to see a movie with her permission.

Education is important!

I think it's absolutely ridiculous that a business wont sell candy to a kid for not being in school. 1)They have no idea why you aren't in school (You could have a good reason) 2)Even if you're skipping, it's none of their business.

My parents let me miss school for a 5 week trip around the country. We all had homework and assignments to do everday. My parents were teachers so that helped. They also let me miss school for special educational opportunities that my school wouldn't take me to (usually musical things because music was not well taught at my school). I would do the same for anything my child was interested in that the school might not support.

It is ridiculous. And it has happened to me twice. Once I had a school inservice, so I was allowed to have no school, and the other time I was skipping, but what difference does it make to them? It's just another sale.

We homeschool so all events other than school are somehow "special".

You homeschool? So did I Do you guys have a programme, or do your parents manage to teach you?

Hey, Brian -- great survey!!

I don't have any children, so this is purely hypothetical. It would depend on a number of factors, what the event was, how much school would be missed, how often this sort of thing happened, who's idea it was, how old the child was, how well they were doing in school, what sort of mood I was in at the time, what their mother though of the idea, how well behaved the child was at the time...

As responsible adults it IS their business (though it's not their business to harass people on the mere possibility they are students), but your first reason still stands.

Hell yeah.

I never went to school on my birthday and my parents didn't have a problem with it. Even now as an adult, I don't work on my birthday.

My mom always let me skip if it was important and so for my child, i would do the same....

It strikes me as strange that people acknowledge that "It takes a village to raise a child" but do not accept that when it comes to discipline of children.

I'm one of those people that doesn't think it takes a village to raise a child. I think the reason people have trouble with that philosophy when it comes to the discipline of children is because some parents have a problem with other folks telling their kids what to do. I would have a serious problem with it if I allowed my kid to do something, and other people tried to enforce against it.

Hi TC. Long time no see!

I don't have kids.

at first it sounds good, but may parents did it to me all the time and it really screwed me up with my priorities

great survey

APPD (Anarchistische Pogo Partei Deutschland) rules

If they aren't missing a test or something. if there is something
special happening of cultural or historic significance. Kids learn
not only in school.

the options on this survey are poor; little is learned from the results.

And what are you hoping to learn from the results of the underwear fetish surveys?

of course my mom let me and i would let my kids too

Usually no, but If it is a vacation, I would make an exception like my parents did me back in 3rd grade. (It was only a week, and I still had to make up all the work on the road, and explain my trip to the class when I got back.)

For a religious event of my faith

My junior year in high school my mother let us skip school to go with her when she was sworn in as U.S. citizen, that was the only time she ever let us skip school. It really was an awesome experience.

i have no child. my husband killed it before it was born.

What?

Yes depending on the event, they could learn more away from school than at.
That does mean they have to make up the work though.

YOU HEARD ME. MY HUSBAND IS A WIFE BEATER. HE DIDN'T START BEATING ME UNTIL I GOT PREGNANT. AS A RESULT OF THE BEATINGS, AND OTHER THING THAT HE DID, I LOST THE BABY.

I hope you'll divorce him asap!

IF I GET ENOUGH MONEY TO FIND HIM. I TRIED GOING THROUGH SOCIAL SECURITY BUT ALL THEY WILL TELL ME IS THAT HE'S ALIVE. I CALLED USA FIND AND THEY WILL CHARGE ME $69.95 TO LOOK FOR HIM. IF YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN PLEASE PRAY FOR ME.

No, I'm not a christian, but I do hope everything turns out ok for you.

thanks.

I don't ask my parents can I skip my school so I could go over my friends house, where we are all going to get high. I just skip it.

My mom would on occasion let us stay home for no reason. She called them 'mental health days'. It was rare, not common.