UK: Guardian: ‘She wants to go to school’: parents of unwell child fear truancy prosecution

"Chloe Beak lives with chronic, debilitating migraines, which leave her unable to attend school for days at a time. But instead of receiving support from her school, her parents have been fined by the local authority for her truancy.

The family’s current fix is to send their daughter in with a migraine until she gets sent home, meaning her absences are registered as authorised. If they do not, the school will consider her a truant as it believes she has emotionally based school avoidance.

The Beaks are anticipating a further fine, and worry they will have to take the matter to court to avoid risking a criminal record."

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/apr/15/parents-unwell-child-fear-truancy-prosecution

 

Funny how the more schools punish children who can't attend for whatever reason, and harass and criminalise their parents, the more school attendance continues to fall. Almost as if that's a really ineffective and counterproductive way of approaching the problem.