BREAKING: Abington Man's Story Goes Viral After Letter

An Abington man took his 9-year-old twin daughters out of school for a few days so that they could watch him run the Boston Marathon, according to multiple reports.

Michael Rossi said that the school responded by saying that family trips were not excused absences, and that further absences would lead to an attendance officer being referred to their case, according to Philly.com

Rossi sent a letter back, which he posted on Facebook and which has since gone viral:

“While I appreciate your concern for our children’s education, I can promise you they learned as much in the five days we were in Boston as they would in an entire year in school.

“Our children had a once-in-a-lifetime experience, one that can’t be duplicated in a classroom or read in a book.

“In the 3 days of school they missed (which consisted of standardized testing that they could take any time) they learned about dedication, commitment, love, perseverance, overcoming adversity, civic pride, patriotism, American history, culinary arts and physical education.

“They watched their father overcome injury, bad weather, the death of a loved one, and many other obstacles to achieve an important personal goal.

“At the marathon, they watched blind runners, runners with prosthetic limbs and debilitating diseases, and people running to raise money for great causes run in the most prestigious and historic marathon in the world.

“They also paid tribute to the victims of a senseless act of terrorism and learned that no matter what evil may occur, terrorists can not deter the American spirit. ...

“We truly love our school.

“But I wouldn’t hesitate to pull them out of school again for an experience like the one they had this past week. ... “

The school board of Rydal Elementary School has since taken a more friendly tone to the situation, posting the following on their website:

It’s up to an individual family to decide whether a particular trip is worth taking their children out of school. And when that happens, it’s the school district’s obligation to let the parents know what the laws and policies are.

However, Rossi told Philly.com that administrators were still unhappy with the situation:

Rossi, who said he is an active parent volunteer, said he met with the principal, another administrator, and school board members Wednesday morning at their invitation. “They were upset that I had gone on Facebook,” he said.

“They were not happy. They stood by their policy. I said I respect that. They also said they would look into their letter to see if it could have be written any differently. I said it’s offensive, accusatory, and combative,” he added.

Media outlets around the country have picked up the story of Rossi and his twin daughters.