In England, parents who take their children on trips during school days will be fined. This rule was introduced by authorities to improve discipline in schools.
Previously, British parents were fined £60 per day for unauthorized absences from school if the school discovered the child had skipped school to go on a family trip. From August 19th, this figure will increase to £80 per day of unauthorized absence. The total fine will not exceed £2,500 per violation.
British authorities have increased fines for parents who allow their children to take time off from school for trips without permission (Illustrative image: iStock).
Regulations imposing fines on parents for taking their children out on school days have been in place in the UK since 2013. This is the first time the fines have been increased.
Legitimate reasons for children to be absent from school in England include health problems or a valid family reason with the school's approval.
If parents want to take their children home from school for a trip, they need to have truly exceptional circumstances, submit a request, and receive approval from the school.
With this latest increase in fines, British authorities are also recommending that school principals only consider fining parents when a student is absent without permission for five consecutive school days.
When parents violate the rules, the penalty decision will be made by the local authorities. If parents do not pay the fine within 21 days, the fine will automatically double.
For the same child, if a parent commits two consecutive violations within three years, the fine for the second violation will start at £160 per day of violation.
If parents commit more than two violations within a three-year period, they may be taken to court or placed on a parental monitoring program to assess their parenting abilities.
If parents simultaneously allow multiple children to take unauthorized leave from school for a trip, they will receive a number of disciplinary decisions corresponding to the number of children.
However, some British parents shared that they accept the potential fines for taking their children on school trips because they want to avoid peak tourist seasons, when travel costs are significantly higher.
During the 2022-2023 school year, British authorities issued nearly 400,000 fines to parents for allowing their children to take unauthorized time off from school for trips.
Many families want to avoid peak tourist seasons, but this can negatively impact their children's education (Illustrative image: iStock).
Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Headteachers Association in England, said: "For students, the ideal place for them during the school year is school. At school, they have teachers and friends, and they learn, train, and develop holistically. This is good for both their physical and mental well-being."
Parents arbitrarily keeping their children home from school for unjustified reasons will negatively impact their children's learning and create difficulties for teachers. Teachers will have to help children fill in knowledge gaps after they return to class. If all parents in a class behaved in such an undisciplined manner, the classroom would become very chaotic.
In other European countries, regulations regarding penalties for parents who allow their children to be absent from school without justifiable reasons are also very clearly defined.
In Austria , if a student is absent without permission for three consecutive days or more, the school will consider reporting the incident to the authorities, and parents may be fined between 110 and 400 euros. In serious cases, parents may face up to two weeks in jail.
In some cases, the Ministry of Education authorities will require parents to come in for a meeting. If parents fail to appear as scheduled, the student may be suspended from school, based on the student's academic performance and discipline.
In this case, a representative from the Youth Welfare Services will visit the parents every two weeks to provide counseling and supervision regarding their child's upbringing.
In many European countries, regulations regarding penalties for parents who allow their children to be absent from school without permission are clearly defined (Illustrative image: iStock).
In France , parents or guardians are responsible for truthfully stating the reason for their child's absence from school. Legitimate trips will be approved by the school. If parents lie and are caught, they can be fined 135 euros.
If unauthorized absences from school seriously affect a child's education, the matter will be brought to court by the authorities, at which point parents could face a two-year prison sentence and a fine of up to 30,000 euros.
In Germany , parents can be fined for allowing their children to be absent from school without permission. The amount of the fine varies from place to place. Authorities in Bremen fine parents 35 euros per day for unauthorized absence. The maximum fine for parents in Berlin is 2,500 euros. Repeated violations can lead to prosecution.
German police also employ investigative techniques at German airports to gather suspicious information about families taking their children on trips during the school year. This information is then sent to schools to coordinate and handle each case accurately.
In the Netherlands , parents who allow their children to be absent from school without permission can be fined 100 euros per day. The maximum fine for a parent is 600 euros for one week of unauthorized absence or 900 euros for two weeks of unauthorized absence for a child.
In Spain , penalties vary depending on the locality. Generally, cases are prosecuted when a child is absent from school without permission for more than 20% of the school days in a month. Parents may face administrative penalties and fines of up to €1,500. In Madrid, the fines are much higher, potentially reaching a maximum of €30,000.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/tang-tien-phat-doi-voi-phu-huynh-cho-con-nghi-hoc-de-di-choi-xa-20240816100258983.htm
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