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Is school in the US optional? Over here (the Netherlands) school is mandatory for anyone under 18. Skipping school without a valid reason (e.g. illness) comes

by Aaargh20318 3y ago

Is school in the US optional? Over here (the Netherlands) school is mandatory for anyone under 18. Skipping school without a valid reason (e.g. illness) comes with a €100/day fine.

toomuchtodo 3y ago
It’s relatively easy to pull your kid from the public school system (we submitted a form for each child, and have to provide a brief report annually on their homeschool progress), and the penalties you mention do not exist unless absence quantity is egregious (and typically, no financial penalties).
kwhitefoot 3y ago
School in Norway is not compulsory. Education is. When we wanted to take the children to the US with us for three months the headmistress tried to make out that we needed her permission but in the end she could only threaten us with the potential problem that there might not be a space in the school for them when they came back. My wife asked for the lesson plans for the period and was grudgingly given them; all three of the children were ahead of their respective classes when we got back. Does fining people make their educational attainments better? I know that such fines are a big thing in the UK but as far as I can tell it is just a burden on the poor and merely adds a small additional cost to family holidays for the well off that is offset by lower prices during term time.
whywhywhywhy 3y ago
Where does the money go?
- Aaargh20318 3y ago
  Where all money for fines goes, to the government.
0xcde4c3db 3y ago
There are truancy laws, but they're state/local (so there's no unified US standard), may also interact with the local school district's policy on absences, and there's often little enforcement effort. Parents may also "home school" which usually comes with significantly less overall scrutiny from the government, but the details of this also vary by jurisdiction. (Yes, education policy in the US is an absolute mess.)

Is school in the US optional? Over here (the Netherlands) school is mandatory for anyone under 18. Skipping school without a valid reason (e.g. illness) comes with a €100/day fine.

toomuchtodo 3y ago

It’s relatively easy to pull your kid from the public school system (we submitted a form for each child, and have to provide a brief report annually on their homeschool progress), and the penalties you mention do not exist unless absence quantity is egregious (and typically, no financial penalties).

kwhitefoot 3y ago

School in Norway is not compulsory. Education is. When we wanted to take the children to the US with us for three months the headmistress tried to make out that we needed her permission but in the end she could only threaten us with the potential problem that there might not be a space in the school for them when they came back. My wife asked for the lesson plans for the period and was grudgingly given them; all three of the children were ahead of their respective classes when we got back. Does fining people make their educational attainments better? I know that such fines are a big thing in the UK but as far as I can tell it is just a burden on the poor and merely adds a small additional cost to family holidays for the well off that is offset by lower prices during term time.

whywhywhywhy 3y ago

Where does the money go?

Aaargh20318 3y ago
Where all money for fines goes, to the government.

0xcde4c3db 3y ago

There are truancy laws, but they're state/local (so there's no unified US standard), may also interact with the local school district's policy on absences, and there's often little enforcement effort. Parents may also "home school" which usually comes with significantly less overall scrutiny from the government, but the details of this also vary by jurisdiction. (Yes, education policy in the US is an absolute mess.)