Can I Keep My Child Home From School?

The short answer

You can only keep your child home from school if you have official permission. This can be in the form of leave from the school for short periods, or an exemption from compulsory education by the municipality for longer periods. Keeping your child home without permission is a violation of compulsory education. The school attendance officer can then issue a warning, impose a fine, or take other measures. In exceptional cases, such as illness or belief, you can apply for an exemption.

What does the law say?

The Compulsory Education Act stipulates that all children from the age of 5 until their 18th birthday are subject to compulsory education. Parents are obliged to send their child to school and ensure that education is followed. The law knows exceptions for illness, belief, and other compelling circumstances. Schools may grant leave for a maximum of 10 days per school year, and for longer periods permission from the school attendance officer is required.

What should you pay attention to?

Always ask the school or school attendance officer for permission before keeping your child home. Keep all correspondence and documents that prove your permission. Be aware that unauthorized school absence can result in a fine of several hundreds of euros. In case of repeated absence, further measures may follow, such as supervision by youth care.

Example from practice

The Janssen family would like to go on vacation to family abroad for three weeks outside of school holidays. They first request leave from the school, but the school can only approve one week. For the other two weeks, they must submit an application to the school attendance officer of the municipality. They submit the application with an explanation of why the trip must take place during the school period. The school attendance officer approves the application because there are special family circumstances. Without this permission, they could have received a fine.

What can you do?

If you want to keep your child home, always first contact the school to request leave. For longer periods or if the school refuses, you can contact the school attendance officer of your municipality.