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Recently, Gail Johnson, a former high school principal, woke up to find her phone buzzing with dozens of angry messages from parents. The uproar centered on what Johnson, 59, considered a routine opinion, hardly the stuff of outrage. Yet within hours, her post had gone viral, igniting a heated debate among moms and dads across the country. “It’s 2025 and I actually have parents trying to defend pulling their child out of school for vacation,” Johnson, who now works as a substitute teacher, wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “I get a death. I get a granny is turning 100 and lives out of state. But to get a cheaper vacation — nope. I can’t ever support that.” “The reactions were unexpected to say the least,” Johnson tells TODAY.com from her home in South Carolina, noting that she "didn't expect so much anger." Online, Johnson was accused of overstepping. Many argued that schools have no right to dictate family decisions and that time spent traveling can be just as educational as classroom lessons. “The raw arrogance of this is amazing. They think they own your kids.” “As a California State Assemblyman, the government of Taiwan invited my family to meet the president and most of the cabinet. We then went to Singapore and New Zealand on my own dime. The school was entirely uninterested in the learning experience. We pulled our daughters from school and homeschooled after that. No regrets.” “A child traveling with their family will always be a more enriching learning experience than yet another monotonous day showing up to school so that school gets a check for their presence…” “And you are the reason that a lot of kids never get to take a vacation. Imagine thinking only kids whose parents can afford it in the peak season should visit the beach. Snob.” “The State does not own our children." “Another ad for homeschooling right there.” “I will take my child out of school when I feel like it. He is not your child, tyrant.” Johnson, who has more than 35 years of experience in public education, stood her ground, explaining that her point wasn’t about judging family choices, but about how even a few skipped days can set students back. U.S. & World “When a student misses a week of school, the rest of the class keeps moving forward,” Johnson says. “It creates an added burden on the teacher, who must find time to help that student catch up while continuing to teach the other 28 kids.” She adds that while she understands “once-in-a-lifetime events,” absences often occur simply because “there’s a sale on the airlines or at Disney,” which she described as “chaotic and burdensome” for schools already struggling with staffing shortages and attendance issues. For Johnson, the debate speaks to a larger point: that enrolling in public school is a choice that comes with shared responsibility. “When parents choose public schools, they’re choosing to be part of a system with shared responsibilities,” Johnson explains. “Most schools send home a student code of conduct that parents have to sign and return, even if they don’t always read it. Schools depend on parents following these basic expectations so we can work together to give children the best education possible.” Her position applies across all grade levels, not just older students. “I don’t believe there’s an age where it suddenly becomes acceptable,” Johnson tells TODAY. “You can set your child up from day one to understand that school is a commitment and that we follow the rules.” This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
