PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOLS Urging parents to curb absences

Too many excused absences can lead to state sanctions.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- Under pressure from the federal No Child Left Behind Act, school officials in the Lehigh Valley are asking parents to curb vacations and doctors' visits that take children out of class.
School officials hope to keep their attendance levels at 95 percent or above, the minimum needed to avoid a warning, or worse, under the 2002 law.
"We're still granting vacations, but we're keeping a watchful eye on them," said Superintendent Bill Haberl of Pen Argyl, whose middle school received a warning last year after tallying a 94.18 percent attendance rate.
The school would receive the dreaded "needs improvement" classification if it misses the attendance goal for a second straight year -- and could be sanctioned by the state, which administers the program, for repeated problems.
New policies
Some school districts are limiting approved absences for family trips to five days. Allentown, which is on the state's list of distressed school districts, enacted such a policy this year.
"While a trip to Disney World sounds like a great opportunity, it does interfere with that child's progress in the classroom," said Patricia Welle, student services coordinator. "The bottom line is, kids need to be in school."
At Palisades Middle School, Principal Ed Baumgarten has seen a difference after discussing the issue with parents at Back to School Night and in a September newsletter.
"I asked them to take their trips around holidays to reduce the days, and schedule doctor and dentist visits on Saturday or early evening," Baumgarten said. "I saw a significant reduction in trip requests."
Baumgarten still grants vacation requests of up to 10 days for a family trip. A longer absence requires approval from the superintendent.
"At this grade and age, a trip can be as beneficial as school. Parents have the right to know what's best for their child as it relates to education," he said. "You can find educational value in a ski trip from a physical standpoint just as much as a trip to Paris from a cultural standpoint."
Most absences this year haven't been from trips, but from illness, he said.
"It has been a terrible year for illness and the flu and snow days," he said. "It has really hurt us."
Value of trip
Despite the new federal policy, Alane Nebbia still thinks her 9-year-old twin sons learned as much from their one-week family trip to Germany last year as they would have in their classroom in Bethlehem. She worked with their teachers ahead of time to make sure they made up the essential work.
"Quality family time is just as important, and avoiding the summer crunch, if you can, is common sense. It's a realistic way to save money and not have to deal with crowds," Nebbia said.