Letting a Teen Skip School for a Super Bowl Victory Parade?

when my kids were in school i allowed them one day per year of 'whatever'. so if this was their one day i'd let 'em do it.
i don't think one fun day is going to ruin a kid, good student or no.
but if you're indulgent about this sort of thing on a regular basis, you might want to rethink it.
although in this case i think it should be more of a 'thank you for handing us the trophy so generously' party rather than a 'victory' one.
:) khairete
only slightly bitter S.

Oh my gosh YES!!!!! I would do anything to be in Boston today - I hope you let him go!!

ETA : I see the parade has been postponed to Wednesday because of the snow. Even on the heels of two snow days, my kids and I would be going.

I would imagine teacher know that lots of kids will be doing this and plan a light day.

I would let my kids miss school for something like this absolutely.

Last year when our team won the Super Bowl and had the victory parade LOTS of kids missed school. A LOT.
I am not like most moms in that I think a child has to be at school every day. I have taken mine out for some pretty flim-flamsy reasons (the SUN IS SHINING!!).
If you think he would be responsible without you there and would not act foolish (people act foolish in large crowds, especially teens) then I would let him go.
L.

Well, considering I took the time off work to attend 2 previous superbowl parades and a Stanley Cup parade, I would not have a problem with taking off school. I would have a problem with him going with friends only. I would make sure an adult was there. The parades I went to were fun - no rowdy people, no destruction or anything like that. But it was a big crowd, and I'd want to know an adult was keeping an eye on the kids.

Unless he often misses school I would probably let him go.

Yes! He'll never forget it.
Life is supposed to be about experiences!

My husband and I both took sick days and took our kids out of school when the Giants won the series back in 2010. It is one of our all time great family memories. They got to see Willie Mays and Willie McCovey in the parade. That was certainly more important than anything they could have done in school on one day. BTW, my husband and I are both teachers. It is one day.

Hmmm, I am sure there is something academically significant about it....

History! That's it!

Yeah, I'd let him go. I might even go myself but with the winter you've been having, the streets of Boston is not really where I want to be.

:)

For our family it would be an absolute YES! We are big football fans and if our team won my kids would be there. For me the issue is not so much missing school but is your son a huge football fan and would it mean a lot for him to attend the parade or is he not that big of a fan and he just wants to miss school to attend a fun event???

I think there are once in a life time events that you skip school for. I just do. I want my children to know school is important. But I also want them to be well rounded and have a broader world view. Now… to me, football is not one of those things. A game does not enter into our values. The fact that it is an annual thing and your team will most certainly win again, it is not unique enough. Personally, this would not be one of those events for me, especially for a kid who is struggling to see the value of school already. But, for your family, however, perhaps it is that important.

My kids had two personal days per year that they could choose what to use them for pending my approval. I absolutely would've let them miss for this. My son was not the A student, but I allowed him to miss during hunting season. My daughter is 17 and a junior (who is the A student). I allowed her to use a day to go shopping with friends for Homecoming week.

I would, based on the unique set of circumstances and he's at an age when he he will remember it. It's a very special day. But I'd also make sure there was some sort of supervision from one adult unless your kid is highly experienced in using the Boston T service and can get around. The crowds can get rowdy and there is so much snow piled up, there's a question about whether they can get the public areas cleared. I heard Boston's Mayor Walsh on the early news today, and he was saying the parade wouldn't be held for "a couple of days", and then two hours later it was already set for Tuesday. So be aware of the snow & ice pile up and have a good discussion with him about safety, and what's allowed and what isn't. Hopefully the crowds will be well-behaved, but my kid was at the Marathon less than 2 blocks from the bombings, so we needed a way to tell him how to get out of there. I'm not saying there's going to be an attack or anything! But I am saying that things get complicated when there are crowds for anything, and you need to be sure everyone in the group is equally responsible or that there is at least one adult in charge.

Sure!

I know people who take their kids out of school to see movies when they open - which I think is strange, but for big things - once in a blue moon, sure. Those are the days your kids will remember.

Schools closed when Green Bay won. Maybe yours will too!

You bet!! How fun is that? Several years ago, when the Titans won against Jacksonville to go to the Super Bowl, Bud Adams, (owner) opened up the stadium in Nashville for a victory celebration.

Everything was free, so we bundled up the kids and off to Nashville we went. We had a blast! The kids remember watching on the big screen the team coming from the airport to the stadium. We didn't get back home until really late. Let the kids have a "sick" day that Monday.

So yes!!!

Nope...wouldn't fly at our house

But then, again, I'm surprised they're even going to still have it considering the storm we are having and the city will barely , if lucky, get a chance to clean up (and where do we put another foot of snow)...but I digress...I apologize for my little rant

The next time the Bruins win the cup, I'll swing by your place and pick up your kid, because my butt will be flying to Boston for the parade!
So even though football isn't my sport, I get it. I hope you let him go!!

Yes, I would let him go. Childhood isn't all about grades, and it only happens once.

Why not? It's only one day.

Is he a diehard Patriots fan? If so, then I would definitely consider it. Let's face it, it's not like it happens every year. It's an experience and experience is a different kind of learning.

I am the mom that doesn't let my kids stay home for ANYTHING except too sick...got a headache? drink some water to be sure you're hydrated, take some pain reliever if necessary but you're going to school cause a headache does not equal being sick.

Sorry, no. That is not a reason to skip school, in my opinion. Maybe if one of your immediate family members was being celebrated at the event... *maybe* then. But just as a general, "oh, my team won... time to party"... No.

I think it sets a poor view of the importance of school and how to set priorities. Particularly for a student who has mediocre grades.

I have a 16 year old 11th grader myself... and he would not be allowed to miss school for an event like that. Skipping school is generally frowned upon in our home. The only "sanctioned" skipping here is the last day of the semester when the kids have already finished their final exams (they move classes around on the last 2 days each semester, on the block system, so that they have 2 finals on the next to last day, and 2 on the last day of the semester). And only then b/c the teachers really don't want the students there. Once they have finished their tests, there is nothing for them to do except be babysat, really. They can't do anything for a grade and the teachers want the kids gone so they can focus on getting tests scored and grades sent in.

Otherwise, no skipping.

It would need to be a qualified yes, to me. Like someone posted below, I would want an adult present who's in charge of the group. And it will be a rowdy crowed in some spots and a mellower "family" crowd in other spots; is your son, if he's alone or with other teens without an adult in charge, really savvy enough to "read" a crowd around him and know to bug out if folks surrounding them have been drinking plenty already and are getting too rowdy? A lot depends on how you think he will handle himself and how crazy you anticipate the crowd could get.

I would think there are going to be other kids in his classes who miss school for this and that the teachers are expecting absences. But he also needs to check whether there is a test or quiz set for tomorrow that he won't be allowed to make up if this is considered an unexcused absence. Some schools are strict about that. The school might consider it excused if you let them know in advance today that your son will be out for a family event, rather than if you wait for the school to call tomorrow to ask where he is after attendance was taken.

If he was a HUGE pats fan then yes I sure would. When the broncos won their superbowls my husband missed school to go to the parade and he was really glad he got to go. If he was doing it just more to get out of school and just to be part of the crowd I probably wouldn't let him go.

No, that wouldn't fly at our house.
We don't skip out on our jobs or school for any stuff like that.
If the town declares it a holiday and closes the school - that would be different.
But skipping school to go to a parade over a sports victory? - no way.
Years ago I was working clean up crew at Rich Stadium (they've named it something else now) when the Buffalo Bills broke a 20 game losing streak with the Miami Dolphins.
It was the closest thing I've ever been to being in the middle of a riot.
The police on horseback escorted the players off the field and they let the fans go nuts.
I saw a man run out to the field, whip out a knife and cut himself a piece of AstroTurf as a souvenir.
They tore up more than half the field.
The climbed up the goal posts, unscrewed them from the ground, passed them hand over hand out over the top of the stadium (seats 80,000) and dance around with the pieces till 3 in the morning.
They ripped out a whole section of aluminum seating right out of the concrete.
No doubt it was a drunken rowdy mob!

The thing is - these celebrations can get out of hand - and there is no way in hell I want any kid/teen of mine any where near anything like this.
If the police are going to be checking footage and charging looters, and anyone who turned over any cars - they won't be seeing my kid in any of the videos.

Probably I'd say yes if his attendance has been good, and he doesn't have missing assignments. If he isn't a big football fan and just wants to enjoy the party rather than attend school, maybe not.

I am surprised by the yes answers maybe it's because I have girls and they like football but are not diehards.