Former radio personality, now suburban father Mike Rossi did what most parents do at some point during the school year: he took a vacation with his family.
He had no idea the battle would erupt over his otherwise “normal” decision.
Michael Rossi and his wife from Pennsylvania recently took their two children to Boston, where they missed three days of school.
The school where Mike’s twins, Jack and Victoria, attend classes noticed their absence while they were away. When the principal found out it was for a family vacation, he sent the Rossis a scathing note that no one saw coming.
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“Dear Mr. and Mrs. Rossi:
I understand that your family recently took a family vacation. I want you to be aware that the Abington School District does not recognize family trips as excused absences, regardless of the activities involved in the trip. The school district is not in the position of overseeing family vacations or evaluating the educational nature of a family trip. The dates that your children were absent were recorded as unexcused. An accumulation of unexcused absences can result in a referral to our attendance officer and a subsequent notice of a violation of the compulsory school attendance law.
Please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you.”
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Just reading the note made my blood boil. So imagine Mike’s surprise when he learned that a family vacation—which allows for family time and a break from everyone’s day-to-day stresses—was actually grounds for disciplinary action.
Mike addressed the principal. Unlike what many of us might have said to her, or what Mike might have wanted to say, the father’s response was gracious and classy.
“Madame Principal,
While I appreciate your concern for our children’s education, I can assure you that in the five days we were in Boston, they learned as much as they would in an entire school year.
Our children had a once-in-a-lifetime experience that they will never be able to replicate in a classroom or read about in a book.
They learned about dedication, commitment, love, perseverance, overcoming adversity, civic pride, patriotism, American history, culinary arts, and physical education in the three days they missed school (which consisted of standardized testing that they could take at any time).
They saw their father overcome injury, bad weather, the death of a loved one, and numerous other challenges to achieve a significant personal goal.
They also witnessed firsthand the love and support of thousands of others who were rooting for people who shared a common goal.
They witnessed blind runners, runners with prosthetic limbs and debilitating diseases, and people running to raise money for worthy causes compete in the world’s most prestigious and historic marathon.
They also paid tribute to the victims of a senseless act of terrorism and learned that no amount of evil can deter the American spirit.
These are things they will never truly learn in school.
In addition, our children walked the Freedom Trail, saw the sites of the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre, and visited the graves of several Declaration of Independence signers.
They will learn these things in school in a year or two. So our children are actually ahead of the game.
They also went to an aquarium, ate delicious food, and spent many hours walking and swimming.
We appreciate the efforts of the wonderful teachers and staff at Rydal Elementary School and value the education they receive. We genuinely enjoy our school. But I wouldn’t hesitate to take them out of school again for an experience like they had this week.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Michael Rossi
Father”
Mike says that his problem is with the district policy itself, and not a personal matter with the principal.
After being shared on social media, Mike’s incredible response went viral for all the right reasons. His kids got an awesome family vacation, learned about historic landmarks that founded our country, and even had the honor of learning a lesson in humility when someone attacks the sacred values of family.