School tails for vacation: Expensive fines threaten parents!

School tails for vacation: Expensive fines threaten parents!

More and more parents in Germany are deciding to report their children sick to escape school and start the summer vacation faster. Cutlets on the highways and high flight prices at the beginning of the holiday are common motives for these so -called "flunk holidays". Teachers and the Philologists' Association increasingly report sick reports, especially at vacation time, which alerts the ministries of culture. These unequivocally emphasize that students are not allowed to travel during class. Nevertheless, many parents see this behavior in this behavior, which can also result in considerable financial consequences, as world.

In Bavaria, for example, there have been increased controls and raids before and after the school holidays in recent years. Parents must therefore expect consequences, both for the sick reports and for the unexcused lack of their children. The fines vary significantly depending on the state. In Berlin, up to 2500 euros can be due, while there are up to 1500 euros in Thuringia. At a glance:

A look at North Rhine-Westphalia shows that in 2024 over 8,000 fine procedures were initiated due to female compulsory violations-an increase of 45 % in just five years. Schools systematically report absenteeism so that municipalities can initiate corresponding fine procedures. In the case of repeated violations, there are even criminal consequences in some federal states. The parents can be asked to present a medical certificate in the event of sick leave to check whether the reported disease is actually available, according to the [Bussmeld-Info] (https://www.bussgeld-info.de/schul referiatry-bussgeld/).

The legal framework

compulsory schooling in Germany has been in effect since 1919 and usually includes nine or ten years. It has also been affected by foreign children since the 1960s and asylum seeker children in North Rhine-Westphalia since 2005. School refusal, i.e. unexcused absence, can then lead to fines that are determined by the respective federal states. In Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saarland, criminal persecution can even threaten. Parents can prosecute up to 180 daily rates or expect up to six months in prison, reports [Bussgeld catalog] (https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/schul referee/).

parents should therefore be aware that even cheap holiday offers or avoiding traffic overloads are not recognized as sufficient reasons for a leave of absence from the lessons. In many federal states, leave of absence is usually not possible to extend the holidays. The responsibility for compliance with compulsory schooling is up to the age of 14 with the parents. After that, the students can also be assigned with fines.

The possibilities for avoiding fines and legal consequences are limited. Parents should therefore search for dialogue with schools and pay attention to signs of school refusal such as frequent lack of lack or bad grades. The topic of bullying should also not be ignored, since it can be a serious reason for refusal to refuse school.

For parents who still want to plan a short vacation, it could be helpful to consider the regulations of other countries such as in Switzerland, where parents can apply for two “joker days” per school year to reduce cheating when taking sick leave. In Germany, however, compliance with compulsory schooling remains the top priority.