Two cases are currently relevant where guardians in Varberg are sentenced to fines for having violated the school obligation and going to Thailand.
A parent couple must pay SEK 82,000. Another guardian is required at SEK 20,000 – SEK 900 per missed school day.
“Not any Thaimout”
In both cases, the trips must have been work-related.
– We haven’t taken any “Thaimout”, we don’t lie down with an umbrella drink during the day, we work, says a mother with whom SVT Nyheter Halland has been in contact.
“The law not adapted to how families live today”
According to the parents, the children would go to a Swedish school in the meantime. “Not a good alternative”, thought the school management in Varberg.
The administrative court thinks that you are breaking the law, how do you see that?
– It depends on how you interpret it, in other municipalities it is different. The law is not adapted to how families live their lives today, says the mother.
Parents share tips – to get around compulsory schooling
SVT Nyheter has reported on Facebook groups where frustrated parents share advice on how they can bypass compulsory schooling and go abroad.
This is what the School Act says about trips abroad during school time, according to the Norwegian School Board’s lawyer:
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Hear Anna Medin, a lawyer at the Swedish National Agency for Education, explain how compulsory schooling works and what is required for a longer leave application to be approved. Photo: Tommy Bergman/SVT