Take YOUR Kid Out of School Without Permission? Court Will Take Your Furniture...or Jail Term.

a reply to: grainofsand

Bet it's a nice view all the same? I'm just getting really peeved off with city life these days, especially so since my two little ones are getting older.

a reply to: Annee

Have to say the fact that it was a "Special Needs Academy" kind of makes the authorities look bad considering they are essentially attempting to stop a special needs child going on a 4 day holiday by way of fining the parents.

I would see the point if they removed the child for a month but 4 days absence seems rather extreme to warrant such actions being taken.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: Annee

Have to say the fact that it was a "Special Needs Academy" kind of makes the authorities look bad considering they are essentially attempting to stop a special needs child going on a 4 day holiday by way of fining the parents.

I would see the point if they removed the child for a month but 4 days absence seems rather extreme to warrant such actions being taken.

Honestly, I don't know how I personally feel about it.

We don't know what the specific Special Needs are.

We do know (I think) a lot goes into establishing and running a Special Needs program. They do fall under more strict regulations.

My grandson is in a public school Special Needs program. High functioning autism spectrum. There are only so many allotted spaces. I highly value that he was accepted, and I would not do anything to jeopardize him losing his spot.

a reply to: Annee

Personally i would not wish my child to attend any establishment where such draconian measures are implemented for a meer 4 days absence, authorized or otherwise.

This is School, its not a Prison or indeed a place of employment. Tell you this if i was the parent any kind of trust or respect i may have had for the staff responsible or indeed the establishment in question would have gone out the "window".

End of the day Schools are a public service there to serve our children's needs not to generate cash for our councils by way of revenue generating fines implemented against parents.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: Annee

Personally i would not wish my child to attend any establishment where such draconian measures are implemented for a meer 4 days absence, authorized or otherwise.

This is School, special needs or otherwise, its not a Prison or indeed a place of employment. Tell you this if i was the parent any kind of trust or respect i may have had for the staff responsible or indeed the establishment in question would have gone out the window.

End of the day Schools are a public service there to serve our children's needs not to generate cash for our councils by way revenue generating fines implemented against parents.

Personal opinions vs government funding.

Its a reality, whether we like it or not. I'm a realist.

What is your Realistic alternative?

a reply to: Annee

It may be a reality where you hail from or indeed the establishment this poor special needs child is attending but i have to say where i come from in Sunny Glasgow, as long as your child maintains a half decent attendance, a four day absence would hardly even be noticed never mind come into question or warrant parental fines. Then again myself and partner are on good terms with the head teacher of our Child's school.

My realistic alternative would be to keep there nose the hell out of business that does not concern them, least they get it broken. But that's just my own opinion.

originally posted by: Annee
What is your Realistic alternative?

Mine is just to lie and say your kid is sick like pretty much everyone I know does.
That, or home-school so the parents are not in any contract with the local education authority.
Honestly this story is lame and does not really present a situation of oppressive government. One time the school knew my son was on holiday with me and I just laughed at them and said he was sick throughout the holiday. They need 'beyond reasonable doubt' to get a conviction and they aint gonna get that without pics of us at the beach lol.
Yep we have these laws in the UK but the parents in the OP were just stupid or naive so I have no sympathy...everyone I knows just lies, apart from my mate who treats the penalty as a holiday cost due to the massive savings he gets by going in term-time.

originally posted by: andy06shake

"What is wrong with GM food?"

Whats wrong with GM food is we really have no idea as to the long term repercussions of growing the products never mind ingesting the stuff.

I always wondered if this scare was created by the organic group to justify their exorbitant prices. The biggest warning flag that it may be the case here is that the whole "long term repercussions" at the cellular level propaganda makes it rather convenient to have a threat that can not be measured, so all we get is... GMO is really bad for you.

But take one look at a GMO product like Golden Rice that has had beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A infused into its DNA. The lack of vitamin A in the world kills a lot of people so this is an extremely good thing....

a reply to: Xtrozero

I'm not suggesting there is not potential benefits to be had just that we have no idea as to the long term dangers that are also associated with such GM crops and harvests. As with most technology these days they simply have not been around for long enough for us to realize the long term implications. Such is life in this day of age.

originally posted by: grainofsand
Yes easily, every single food product grown or reared in the UK is GM free. The only GM food for sale in the UK is imported from North America and clearly labelled.

Wow really? Your food has never been manipulated by cross pollination, or grafting, or selective growing over the centuries? The only difference is the way we do all this today is a lot more exact in the outcome.

As example, does your corn look like this? If not then it has been modified I dare say...

...and on topic, the parents in this OP are free to home school their kids if they wish but by enrolling their child in a local authority school they entered into a contract which they breached.
Again, no sympathy, stupid fools should have just lied and said their child was sick as I did every year my child was in school.

Foolish they don't lie their way though a socialized system... Hopefully one day they can lie their way to a disability, that's like winning a lottery ticket....hehe

a reply to: Xtrozero
Behave yourself, there is no example of animal genes naturally crossing into plants as you should know well. Why are you bitching that the UK is currently GM free in our crops?

...back on topic, that's a lame comparison regarding lies to not have to pay a stupid penalty, and lies to get disability.
Do you really think it's the same thing "deprivation of funds to the treasury" so should be treated as such, really?
Wow, you must really have accepted your slave status. I never will.

originally posted by: andy06shake

I'm not suggesting there is not potential benefits to be had just that we have no idea as to the long term dangers that are also associated with such GM crops and harvests. As with most technology these days they simply have not been around for long enough for us to realize the long term implications. Such is life in this day of age.

I just find it funny in a way...I can dump a bottle scotch down my throat and that is OK, but watch out for the GMO tomatoes or potatoes...hehe

I think the secret in everything in life is moderation and any negativeness in these foods would not be seen unless the intake was at some extreme level over a very extended period of time. Genetic modification of our bodies due to any of this is rather funny idea when one looks at how our bodies use and discards these fuels to the point that my scotch is 100 times worst.

originally posted by: grainofsand
Behave yourself, there is no example of animal genes naturally crossing into plants as you should know well. Why are you bitching that the UK is currently GM free in our crops?

I'm not, didn't start it. I just love how people label it a bad thing in someway.

BTW...40% of your genes are the same in a grape vine... all life on earth is related and connected...

Wow, you must really have accepted your slave status. I never will.

I don't like much Government, just enough is perfect...

a reply to: Xtrozero

Scotch Whiskey cant be that bad considering Doctors used to prescribe the stuff for numerous ailments and disorders. Personally i prefer Vodka. LoL

originally posted by: Xtrozero

originally posted by: andy06shake

"What is wrong with GM food?"

Whats wrong with GM food is we really have no idea as to the long term repercussions of growing the products never mind ingesting the stuff.

I always wondered if this scare was created by the organic group to justify their exorbitant prices. The biggest warning flag that it may be the case here is that the whole "long term repercussions" at the cellular level propaganda makes it rather convenient to have a threat that can not be measured, so all we get is... GMO is really bad for you.

But take one look at a GMO product like Golden Rice that has had beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A infused into its DNA. The lack of vitamin A in the world kills a lot of people so this is an extremely good thing....

Hey! Something we can agree about.

What do people think Grafting is? Many natural foods today are much better then their original species.

Mass Panic Hysteria.

a reply to: Annee

All right then, roll the money in my taxes that go toward the public schools into a voucher so that I can at least pick and choose which school my child is going to instead of being constrained by the postal code I live in.

note to all governments;

our children are not your property.

GM food aside as I was the first one to mention it and so with respect to the OP I say on topic, the parents were either stupid or naive to not just lie and say their kid was sick, or too tightfisted to budget that £150 into their holiday costs as my mate does.
He goes to the school and tells the headmaster that he is taking his children on holiday so does he want cash, cheque, or card? lol.
A couple with one child will save more on the term time holiday/flights than the penalty, it is a no brainer...especially when it's so easy to lie and not pay it.
Pathetic sensationalist story if you ask me.

This "rule" was instigated for the specific reason to address persistent absenteeism but the school authorities have got rather pedantic in it's application and use it for every absence.
It does not help, when people are short on money, that holiday companies cash in on this rule by hiking their prices vastly in school holiday time.
No matter what anyone on here says a childs education is not hindered by the occational week off (except in their final year when the exams count) as to have a child go through the educational system without being off sick for a week or so would be astronomical. I shall not mention the high amount of days the teachers have off in term time for teacher training days, Whoops where goes the childrens education on those days.
I really think that before anyone becomes a teacher they HAVE to have at least 2 actively working years in industry(not office or banking) to give them a grounding on what happens in the real world.
The majority of teachers I have come into contact with (and I've met a few) are glorified schoolchildren because they have never left school. Junior school, senior school, teacher training college, might be university (but not always) and then employed by their present school.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: Annee

All right then, roll the money in my taxes that go toward the public schools into a voucher so that I can at least pick and choose which school my child is going to instead of being constrained by the postal code I live in.

Reminds me of where I lived in AZ.

All the Mormons wanted to send their kids to a specific public school. (nothing against Mormons - could have been any group)

It got so bad they had to do away with choosing any school you want in the district.

Someone always ruins it for others.