Parents fined, at risk of losing jobs because their children pierced their ears

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Helen Gent, who lives in Newark, Nottinghamshire, England, is facing a court penalty and risks losing her job for allowing her daughter to get her ears pierced during the school year.

Lucille, a 14-year-old student and daughter of Helen Gent (45), attends Magnus Academy in Newark, England. According to school regulations, students are not allowed to wear any piercings to school. However, Lucille had her ears pierced during the 2023-2024 school year. She was instructed by the piercer to wear the piercing for 6-8 weeks to allow the earlobe to heal and prevent infection.

Because of this action, Lucille was disciplined at school; she was asked to leave the classroom and could only return after removing the piercing.

Lucille, a female student, shortly after getting her ears pierced (Photo: DM).

Initially, Helen and her daughter thought that the small, simple piercing wouldn't make Lucille a student who violated school rules. However, school regulations prohibited students from wearing any type of piercing to school, including simple earrings.

Helen went to the school to explain the situation to the principal, but her explanation was not accepted, so she decided to have her daughter homeschool for five days. After that, Lucille was allowed to return to class wearing clear plastic earrings.

At the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, Helen received a letter from the school stating that Lucille had taken unauthorized absences during the past school year. As Lucille's parent, Helen was responsible for this matter and had to pay a fine of £60 (approximately 2 million VND). This fine would double if Lucille did not pay it by the deadline of 28 days.

Despite the risk of increased fines, or even a criminal record for failing to comply with a decision jointly made by the school and authorities, Helen decided not to pay the fine. She maintained that Lucille's absence from school was entirely the school's fault, and that neither she nor her daughter wanted her to be absent without permission.

Helen and her daughter Lucille (Photo: DM).

Helen has now received a court summons. The case has attracted significant public attention. Speaking to the British media, Helen stated that during Lucille's five days of unauthorized absence, she took her daughter to school every day so she could attend classes, but each day the girl was asked to deal with the issue of her piercing.

According to Helen, it was the school that prevented Lucille from attending class, and she did not allow her daughter to be absent from school without permission. Helen believes the school has taken the matter too far, exaggerating the issue; Lucille is a good student and does not deserve such harsh treatment.

Currently, the case has been taken up by Nottinghamshire County Court. Helen has been forced to hire a defense lawyer and stated that if the court finds her guilty of allowing her daughter to be absent from school without permission, she will suffer a criminal record check. This would make it difficult for her to find employment in the future and could even immediately affect her current job.

"I'm a taxi driver, and taxi companies are very concerned about their employees' compliance with the law. I've never had any legal problems before. If I'm found guilty, it will affect my job. This whole thing is ridiculous," Helen said.

Furthermore, Helen also argued that Magnus Academy's uniform policy was too strict. In response to Helen's comments, a representative from Magnus Academy told the media that the school's regulations were clearly stated.

Parents can access this information in several ways, such as by visiting the school's website. These regulations have remained stable and have not changed in the past six years.

Furthermore, the school is always ready to work with parents to quickly resolve any issues related to students. For students who violate disciplinary rules and cannot attend class, the school always has teachers supervising them during class hours, ensuring they can remain safely at school.

Magnus Academy is located in the town of Newark (England) (Photo: DM).

Following Helen's incident, many British parents expressed sympathy but still acknowledged that her behavior was inappropriate. Every school has clear rules, and parents need to understand them and help their children follow them. This is how parents and students show respect for the school and also for themselves.

Many parents said that their children's schools also prohibit students from wearing any kind of piercing to school, so they chose to have their children's ears pierced as soon as the summer holidays began, so that their children would not violate school discipline.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/phu-huynh-bi-phat-tien-co-nguy-co-mat-viec-vi-con-bam-lo-tai-20241107214539636.htm