Parents in Spain who Refuse to Take their Children Back to School Could Face Heavy Fines and Possibly even Jail!

As parents and children all over Spain prepare for the return to Schools on Monday many are not aware that a refusal to do so can lead to serious consequences.

Millions of students are expected to resume their education in schools and colleges across Spain on Monday, but there is a problem as many parents have already stated they will definitely NOT be taking their children back- citing fears their kids could catch the coronavirus.

The parents, however, are not alone on their fears, as reported recently by the EWN, a school in Dundee was closed TWICE when teachers and pupils became ill after becoming infected with COVID-19.

A magistrate in the Contentious Chamber of the Higher Court of Justice of Murcia and national spokesperson for Judges and Judges for Democracy, explains that “parents have the obligation to take their children to receive an education. For this reason, those who encourage truancy face jail time, fines and in the worst of cases, the loss of parental authority”.

There is a Penal Code that mentions non-compliance with the obligation to educate children leads to imprisonment of three to six months.

The magistrate, Ascensión Martín, compares these events with “when someone does not want their son to have a blood transfusion and a judge agrees that they do.” and says she doesn’t understand parents who ” now tear their clothes and say their children cannot go to school when the children have spent the whole summer in the parks, playing with other children.”

The magistrate added that education “is better in person- If it were only virtual the situation would be horrible since not everyone has an iPad or the Internet or a parent to explain Chemistry.”

Parents, teachers and opposition politicians in Spain are angry at the government’s plans for reopening classrooms. Latest government data showed daily infections peaked at 7,609 on Friday – their highest since late March – before dropping to 3,349 on Thursday. However, the fall may not represent a trend as similar declines have been followed by new peaks in recent weeks.

Pablo Casado, leader of the conservative opposition People’s Party, had recently accused Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s leftist government of keeping the country guessing on the reopening of schools.

Things have changed at schools in Spain since the lockdown, the Spanish government has issued a set of guidelines to be adhered to in the hope of keeping outbreaks to a minimum.