Copyright Newsweek
A veteran South Carolina principal has sparked debate over parents taking their children out of school for a vacation. Gail Johnson, who goes by @educator4ever36, wrote in a post on X: "It’s 2025 and I actually have parents trying to defend pulling their child out of school for a vacation. I get a death. I get granny is turning 100 and lives out of state. But to get a cheaper vacation—nope. Can’t ever support that." After 38 years in public education, Johnson thought her comment was a straightforward plea for parents to respect the school calendar. Instead, it drew more than 3.8 million views and thousands of replies, many of them angry. "I was seriously caught off guard by the vitriol spewed at both me and parents’ public schools," Johnson told Newsweek. "My post seemed to trigger a school rule versus parental rights, though my intention was to focus on the negative impact of taking a child out of school for a vacation." When parents choose a public school, Johnson said that they "opt into" its policies, including attendance rules that are set—and published—years in advance. Following those rules models respect and responsibility for children. "Too many parents continue to harbor anger at public schools from the COVID years, and, though justified in that anger, it cannot be used as an excuse to break school policies," Johnson said. Across the United States, attendance laws vary by state, but nearly all public school systems classify family vacations as unexcused absences, unless approved in advance by a principal or superintendent. Under state compulsory-attendance laws, children are required to attend school regularly—typically from ages 6 to 16—and districts are required to track every absence. While penalties differ, repeated unexcused absences can lead to a student being labeled "truant," triggering warnings, mandatory conferences, or even fines for parents in some jurisdictions. Many districts allow for short-term exceptions—such as for bereavement, family emergencies, or religious observances—but rarely for travel motivated by convenience or cost. Some schools may approve educational trips if families can demonstrate a learning purpose and arrange assignments in advance, but, even then, approval is discretionary. As a result, parents who schedule vacations during the school year often find themselves at odds with both attendance policies and administrators like Johnson, who see such decisions as undermining classroom continuity and accountability. The issue for Johnson is about more than just missing a few days of class. "Parents fail to realize the cumulative impact of student absences both on the individual student, but also on the teacher and other students," she said. She added that promises to "make up the work" rarely materialize, leaving teachers scrambling to reteach lessons or regrade assignments. "If parents are going to entrust schools with the safety and education of their children, they then must understand how their actions are critical to a school’s success," Johnson said. The post divided opinion across the internet. Many users said Johnson’s argument didn’t stand up, as the state doesn’t "own" their children. Others were strong believers in going on vacation during term time as "life is too short." "You can't support families spending time together? Maybe it was the only time they could book a vacation! Maybe one of the parents has to work while everyone else is on vacation. Maybe they're tying their vacation to a family event," one X user wrote. "I don't agree with it, but people have to take vacations when they can. Not everyone gets every possible holiday off and summers. Oh wait summer school is really difficult to teach," another added. "If I want to take them out for a week for a vacation I don’t want to hear a word from the school. Traveling is a type of education that school can’t teach," a Threads user commented. On the other hand, a small minority were disappointed with the reaction from parents. "I totally support you here and am disappointed at how many, especially PARENTS, do not. This is a huge problem in our society!" an X user wrote. Johnson was shocked by how many parents said school was boring, useless or that kids could learn more on vacation. It made her wonder, she said, "if parents harbored such extreme negativity toward their child’s public school, why then were they sending them to the school and not doing anything to demand change? Despite the backlash, Johnson said she stands by her message. "My post really highlighted how little trust there is in public schools, and whereas I understand the skepticism, I do not think attendance should be in the same bucket as the other concerns parents have," she added. "Ignoring attendance rules is, in my opinion, one of the worst ways to disrespect the public school system."
