Last year, the government had been tolerant before the Christmas holidays, allowing students to skip classes for a few days to confine themselves before reuniting with family. What about this year?
Can you make your child miss school before the Christmas holidays?
Last year, the Ministry of National Education followed the advice of the Scientific Council by tolerating the absence of pupils the two days preceding the Christmas holidays, so that they can self-confine and thus protect the grandparents and the family before the holidays. But this year, students are required to attend classes until December 18, date of the start of school holidays. However, some parents have decided, as a precaution, to keep their children at home so as not to expose them to the spread of the coronavirus and to preserve family meals. A decision that is not tolerated in 2021 by the National Education. “It is very important that children go to school. It is not an adjustment variable. We must not accustom our society to the fact that school, regardless of this health crisis, is something we go to, where we don’t go …“, explained Jean-Michel Blanquer this December 13 on RTL. This year, the situation is indeed different from that of last year because a large number of French people are vaccinated and Christmas falls a week after the start of the holidays, which allows a form of confinement to be observed. “If the child is absent without a real or justifying reason, he is liable to sanctions “, add the services of the Ministry of National Education which recall that school is compulsory between 3 and 16 years old since September 2019.
Be aware, however, thatit is possible not to send your child to school by following distance learning courses, in certain cases and on presentation of a medical certificate, especially if you are in poor health or if your child’s doctor considers it dangerous for him to go to school.
Poor health, should we send our child to school?
If you or your children are in poor health, type severe asthma, cystic fibrosis, renal failure, likely to develop severe form of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, you should then be able to telecommute. Ditto for your child who could benefit from a Distance Learning as announced by the government in a detailed version of its decree published on August 21, 2020. In this case, you will need to provide a medical certificate attesting to your state of health or that of your child, in order to benefit from a work arrangement and allow your child to receive the lessons studied in class. However, without proof, if you decide despite everything to withdraw your children from school, the teachers will have no obligation to send you the work done in class to allow distance education. In addition, you may also be the subject of a call to order from the establishment. Because the educational continuity must be done anyway.
Thereby, for students affected by pathologies that make them vulnerable to the risk of developing a serious form of Covid-19, the referring physician determines the conditions for continued presence. In cases where complete remote maintenance would be recommended by the referring doctor, the educational continuity system set up in the establishment is applied, possibly with the help of the CNED.
| As for teachers considered to be at risk by their doctor, with a medical certificate, they will not be obliged to return to class either and will be able to opt for distance learning. |
Does my child have to go to school when I have the option of looking after him at home?
“Yes, except for duly justified reason for absence or in the event that the class or school or establishment is the subject of a closure measure brought to the attention of the families, the children must go to their school or their educational establishment “ recalls the Ministry of National Education. If your child goes to high school, the school is already setting up distance learning or personal work, since high schools are now in half-gauge.
Do students with special educational needs have to go to school?
If your child has special educational needs and is enrolled in a school, college or high school, he will have to resume lessons like the other students in his class. For parents of students with disabilities, “they will be informed with the greatest precision of the reception methods defined to comply with health doctrine“specifies the ministry.