14 DAY TRIAL // A British family of five believed it would be a good idea to go on a family vacation during school year, believing that a week away from classes wouldn't be such a big deal.
It proved that it wasn't a big deal for the kids, but it was for the West Midlands local government that is threatening the parents with jail for pulling their kids out of school at the beginning of the year.
Stewart and Natasha Sutherland took their three children – Rhiannan, Sian and Keane – to Rhodos Island, in Greece, on the bunch's first family vacation in almost five years. The mid-September trip lasted one week, and then they all came back to their normal activities.
When they returned, they found themselves fined by school officials with almost $600 on the reason of taking the children out of school. The outraged parents refused to pay and after 21 days, the fine doubled. They continued to refuse the payment until the penalties reached almost $3,300 and they are now threatened with three-month jail time.
The current legislation on leaves of absence in schools states that teachers are not allowed to grant any leaves during term, and just extraordinary situations may qualify as eligible for absence. This means that no holidays or vacations during school year may qualify as worthy for children's absences.
The Sutherland family was outraged and confessed that they booked the trip with one year in advance and that their incredibly busy schedule makes it almost impossible for them to synchronize their free time. They understand the importance of education, but they also need some quality family time together, The Daily Caller explains.
The thing that angered them the most was the fact that they were “punished for the truth” because they could have lied and claimed their kids were sick, like other parents do when they need to get their kids out of school. Instead, they were honest, because that is the lesson they are trying to teach their children and are now facing jail time.