Making sure your child goes to school every day is important, but did you know that schools have legal responsibilities when it comes to attendance?
Here’s what parents should know about how schools track attendance, what happens if a child misses too much school, and what to do if your child is put on a reduced school day:
Schools have to keep detailed attendance records and report to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, if a student misses more than 20 days in a school year.
If a principal thinks a student has an attendance problem – whether due to frequent absences or suspensions – they have to also let Tusla know.
To encourage good attendance, every school must have a School Attendance Strategy in Ireland.
This can include:
- Rewarding students with strong attendance
- Identifying children at risk of dropping out
- Strengthening communication between schools and families
- Addressing any school-related issues that contribute to absenteeism
What happens if my kid misses too much school?
If a child is regularly absent without a valid reason, Tusla can arrange an assessment of their intellectual, emotional, or physical development – but only with parental consent.
If parents refuse, Tusla can apply to the Circuit Court to have the assessment carried out.
In some cases, a school may reduce a child’s school day – for example, to help them ease back into a routine.
However, this should only happen in limited cases and for a short period.
From January 2022, schools must:
- Inform Tusla if a child is placed on reduced hours
- Get parental consent before making any changes
- Plan to reintegrate the student within six weeks
Parents also hold responsibility for making sure their child is going to school, and according to Citizen’s Information, it can even lead to jail time.
“Under the Education Welfare Act 2000 parents must inform the school if their children will be absent from school on a school day and the reason for the absence, such as illness. It is best to do this in writing. The Child and Family Agency strongly advises against taking children out of school to go on holiday during term-time.
“Parents and guardians have a legal obligation to ensure that their child attends a school or else receives an education. If Tusla considers that a parent is failing in his or her obligation, it must send the parent a School Attendance Notice.
“The warning outlines that legal action will follow if the child does not attend school regularly. Tusla must make reasonable efforts to consult with the parents and the child, before sending the warning.
“If the parent fails to comply with a warning, they may be prosecuted. If convicted, the parent may be fined and/or imprisoned for a month and also fined for each subsequent day that they fail to send the child to school.
“If the parent claims that suitable alternative education is being provided, they must prove this. It will be a defence for the parents to show that they have made all reasonable efforts to send the child to school – in such cases, the Child and Family Agency must be informed.”
