Why your district should discourage parents planning long family trips |
On Board Online • September 24, 2018
By Mary Williams-Noi
Policy Consultant
Every school year, some parents take their children out of school for vacations. Some want to avoid crowds in Orlando or snag cheaper airfares, while others are traveling to attend weddings or other family events. Some parents take their children on extended trips to visit relatives abroad.
Absences beyond designated vacation times can be a problem because consistent school attendance is essential to students' success. Research shows that students need to be present in school not only for instruction, but also to engage with their peers. Other students and teachers can be affected by one student's absence when class time is spent re-teaching material.
English language learners and other immigrant students may be among frequent travelers, as they often have relatives in other countries. These students may have significant learning needs, and family travel can deprive them of important experiences for their academic progress.
There can be consequences for the school district, too. The State Education Department requires districts to report chronic absenteeism and use those figures in evaluating school quality. Along with graduation rates and other measures of academic progress, chronic absenteeism is a factor in whether a school is identified for "comprehensive support and improvement" (CSI) or targeted support and improvement (TSI).
NYSSBA Policy Services believes that children shouldn't miss school for reasons other than illness or certain other issues. We recommend that districts find a way to respectfully ask parents not to schedule vacations that take place during scheduled instruction time.
Here are some questions and answers on extended absences:
How many is too many absences? The definition of chronic absences varies. In New York, the State Education Department (SED) defines it as a student missing 10 percent of school days - or 18 days or more per year - in an 180-day school year. (See the Eye on Policy column in the Oct. 17, 2016 issue of On Board for more information.)
Can't teachers just provide packets of work? It may be feasible to send work home for a student for the occasional absence or create a homebound instruction plan for a student. But teachers may view it as burdensome to create packets for individual students who plan to be absent at different times of year for extended periods of time.
How can school boards address the problem of extended absences? We don't recommend boards adopt a policy banning extended vacations. The reason is simple: No board policy can prevent parents from taking their children out of school.
However, board policies and administrative implementation can promote a culture of regular school attendance. They also can empower administrators and staff to work together and provide tools and guidance when handling vacation requests and attendance issues.
Who defines an "unexcused" absence? Section 104.1 of the regulations of the commissioner of education gives school boards the duty to create a policy on excused and unexcused absences. Nearly all schools consider taking an extended family vacation, even to visit relatives or traveling to one's native country, as an unexcused absence. Boards also have the authority to determine how they will handle absences for reasons other than those established in policy as excused. In addition, state regulations require districts to notify students and parents at the beginning of the school year of this policy and parents must receive a plain-language summary of this policy.
How can NYSSBA help? Two important NYSSBA sample policies are 5100, Student Attendance, and 4710, Grading System. The former discusses excused and unexcused absences, and both provide recommended language regarding make-up opportunities. School districts are not obligated to extend a make-up opportunity to every student regardless of the reason for the missed class. If your school board does not allow make-up opportunities for unexcused absences, administrators must apply this rule equally.
Communication about such policies is critical. If parents understand that make-up credits are not available for unexcused absences, it may affect their decisions in scheduling vacations. On the other hand, a parent unaware of such a policy may be quite upset if her son or daughter's 4.0 grade point average is jeopardized by a lack of make-up opportunity.
When does a pattern of absences equal educational neglect? Under Education Law section 3205, children ages 6 to 16 are required to attend school regularly and schools are responsible for ensuring students do so. A student's significant, repeated absences or chronic absence can prompt school officials to suspect educational neglect by the parents. Educational neglect is a form of child abuse and obligates school officials to contact Child Protective Services to investigate. NYSSBA Policy 5460, Abuse in a Domestic Setting, outlines the district's role in this process and who's responsible at the district for reporting educational neglect.
While September is Attendance Awareness Month, your work to make attendance a priority should go all year. But September is a good month to review the policies discussed in this article and talk with your superintendent about whether extended absences are a problem in your school district.
Clear communication about the district's policies and outreach to your schools' PTAs may have a positive effect on parent's future decisions on scheduling family vacations.
If you would like samples of any of the above noted policies please email NYSSBA's Policy Department at policy@nyssba.org or call (800) 342-3360 and ask to speak with a member of the Policy Department.