It’s an issue that has arisen time and time again, with families left outraged and upset over the ramifications of taking their children out of school during term time without permission.
It seems that this struggle against school boards may be a thing of the past now however, and it’s all down to one dad’s landmark legal victory.
Jon Platt thought it would be a wonderful idea to take his seven-year-old daughter to Disney World, Florida, but not everyone agreed with him.
The 44-year-old was refused permission by his daughter’s school to take her away during term, and he was slapped with a £120 fine for going ahead anyway with his plans.
When Mr Platt protested against the fine, he was ordered to appear before a court, but he fought the case tooth and nail.
Mr Platt’s legal representative argued that British law only requires parents to ensure their kids attend school “regularly”, with no mention of a restriction regarding taking them on holidays during term.
In what is now being regarded as a landmark case, magistrates decided that Mr Platt had no case to answer even before his trial was called up.
Now, there are reports that this decision could have serious ramifications for other such cases and school codes all over the country.
Commenting after his victory, Mr Platt said: “I’ve had lots of message from people asking me, ‘What is the loophole here?’ But there is no loophole, the law just says your children must attend regularly.”
While there may be confusion surrounding the significance of this latest ruling, it looks as though an upcoming Parliamentary debate will put it to rest. Ministers are set to review a petition signed by over 100,000 people calling for up to two weeks’ term-time leave from school.
We will keep you informed of any updates.
