“Madam, I would like to inform you that, for personal reasons, Louise will not be in class on Monday May 6 and Tuesday May 7.” The teacher of a school in Angoulême discovered this little note a few days ago in a student’s notebook. The teacher…
“Madam, I would like to inform you that, for personal reasons, Louise will not be in class on Monday May 6 and Tuesday May 7.” The teacher of a school in Angoulême discovered this little note a few days ago in a student’s notebook. The teacher understood: this family has decided to take a full week of vacation. This May 8 is a public holiday – the Victory of 1945 -; the 9th also – it’s Ascension -; Friday 10, all students (schoolchildren, middle schoolers, high school students) take the bridge, as is written in the school calendar. So, if we skip school on Monday and Tuesday…
In theory, you risk two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros.
Do we have the right, like Louise’s mom and dad, to transform the bridge into a viaduct? The answer is no. At least not for “personal convenience”. “Absences are only authorized for valid and justified reasons,” says Yolande de Souza, communications manager at the Academy of Poitiers. Understand: a health problem – if the child is sick or if one of his relatives is sick and he is contagious -, a death or marriage in the family, an impediment caused by an accidental problem in the transport. “Going on vacation is not a valid reason,” says Yolande de Souza.
The editorial team advises you
“We are not in a repressive operation”
The website of the Ministry of National Education spells it out in black and white: “Each child enrolled in school, middle school or high school must attend the classes planned in their timetable.” Absences are monitored and may be sanctioned. But what risk do those who make their child miss classes? In theory, they face criminal convictions. This is what the Ministry of National Education indicates on its website: “If you do not justify your child’s absence or if you give inaccurate reasons, you risk a fine of 135 euros”.
If these unjustified absences compromise your child’s education, you risk two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros. Between practice and on the ground, National Education does not initiate procedures. At least, if it’s a small prank, just once. “It is the responsibility of the parents but as far as the weeks of May are concerned, we are not in a repressive manner,” says Yolande de Souza.
