Students miss some school to travel south of the border for holidays

A three-week winter break for the Planada Elementary School District starts Monday, but five of Jose Lopez’s children will get a couple of extra vacation days. On Thursday, they are to embark on a 36-hour trip to the Mexican state of Jalisco – as they do almost every other year.

For the Lopez family, like many families in Planada and other communities in Merced County, traveling south of the border for the holidays is a long-standing tradition. They use the time off to spend Christmas and New Year’s with family and friends in their native country. Lopez’s wife, Martha Guzman, said half of her siblings live in Mexico, and the trip gives her children an opportunity to interact with extended family.

This year, Lopez’s younger children, who attend Planada Elementary and Cesar Chavez Middle School, will only miss two days of classes. Their daughter, a student at Le Grand High School, will miss about a week of school.

As of Monday, 21 out of nearly 800 students in the Planada School District had already left or will leave this week for the holidays, said Jose Gonzalez, district superintendent. Students missing school because of holiday trips is not as big an issue as it was a decade ago, administrators said. However, 21 students is an increase from recent years, Gonzalez said.

The boost, he said, is probably due to an improving economy and the fact that some families feel dangers in Mexico are cooling off.

School administrators estimate that 40 percent to 50 percent of parents in the district work in the fields. Because work in agriculture tends to slow down this time of year, many families use the extra time off to spend the holidays in their home country.

The Planada School District has offered three-week winter breaks for about 20 years, administrators said. That gives families some cushion time during their trip.

Planada Elementary Principal Ildefonso Nava, who grew up in the area, is familiar with the tradition. As a kid, his family would travel to the Mexican state of Michoacan regularly during the holidays.

He explained that large families will usually choose to drive when traveling because it is more affordable than flying. But the drive takes an estimated 36 to 40 hours, which means families need almost a week to travel there and back, Nava said.

“Most families will take three to four weeks,” Nava said. “A lot of parents ask for permission, but it’s not up to us; letting us know is more of a courtesy.”

Parents are given fair warning on the consequences of missing too much school. Nava explained that students who tally more than 10 consecutive unexcused absences risk losing their spot in the classroom. Illnesses, documented medical appointments, funerals and quarantines are the only reasons an absence will be excused. That means when they do come back, students may be placed in a different classroom or program.

Unexcused absences also mean a loss of state funds for the schools. Gonzalez, the superintendent, said a school loses about $30 to $35 a day per absent child.

“It’s a loss in revenue but most importantly it’s an academic loss,” Gonzalez said.

A 2014 study by Attendance Works, a national initiative that tracks attendance and school progress, showed that fourth-graders who miss class an average of three days per month score about a whole grade-level lower on reading assessments than their peers with no absences. At Cesar E. Chavez Middle School, students with more than eight unexcused absences in a year are not allowed to participate in graduation activities.

To make up for academic loss, students are usually given special assignments or projects to keep up with schoolwork. At Planada Elementary, teachers usually put together a package, or assign journal entries in which students can document their trip. Thanks to technology, students who are traveling can also access assignments online, Gonzalez explained. The key becomes having access to the Internet.

But parents are becoming more cognizant about potential damage absences can have on a child’s studies.

“Our parents are really good about coming in (to pick up schoolwork),” Gonzalez said. “It shows they do care about their child’s academic progress.”

Lopez, who works as a truck driver and occasionally in the fields, said it is difficult to align his work schedule with the school schedule of his children, but tries his best so that his kids don’t fall behind.

“School is a priority,” he said. “We know that. The little ones will only miss two days. I don’t think that will be too much of a problem.”

Traveling, he added, is also a learning experience. They learn about the roots of their culture, and they learn geography as they cross the towns, borders and deserts, he said.

“They ask lots of questions,” Lopez said. “I think it’s a great learning experience for them.”

This story was originally published December 15, 2015 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Students miss some school to travel south of the border for holidays."