A mother has divided opinions after revealing that she's facing a $6,000 fine for taking her kids out of school to go on vacation.
Going on vacation is always exciting, but as your family grows bigger, so do the costs associated with it.
Not only do you have to factor in extra seats on whatever transport you're taking, but also accommodation and food costs.
Travel companies are all too aware that families with kids have to go away during school holiday time, and the prices go up during these periods.
One mom opted to take her kids on vacation during term time and is now facing a pretty hefty fine for doing so.
Megan Beasley, a travel industry professional, frequently takes her children out of school to fulfill her work obligations. As a content creator, Beasley travels abroad to review holidays, offering her followers tips and tricks to maximize their getaways. This often necessitates her children's absence from school, a decision for which she willingly pays the existing fines.
However, Beasley was left fuming after an "absolutely lovely" office lady at her son's school handed her an updated fine form, revealing a significant increase in penalties. Previously, Beasley paid £60 ($76) per child, but the new regulations now impose a £160 fine per child, per parent.
"You're telling me that it is now going £160 ($203) per child and by the way charge you each adult as well," Beasley exclaimed. "So not only is it per child, they fine you for both mum and dad. That's £160 times four if we were to go for a week out of school."
Beasley also found the fine structure for repeat offenses perplexing, as parents can be fined again within three years of the initial breach.
"If you're going to fine me, you may as well just fine me – don't leave it until Noah's left school, and three years later I'm getting a fine through the door because you've decided you're a bit short on funding that week," she added.
The fines escalate dramatically for a third offense, potentially reaching £2,500 ($3,175) per parent. "I'm sorry, what? £5,000 ($6,350) fine to take my children out of school... and the key word there being my children... Mine. The world has gone absolutely mad," Beasley said.
Beasley's main contention is her transparency in notifying the school about her children's absence.
"I pay the fine to be able to do my job because we've got to remember, this is actually my job," she explained. "This is my career. This is how I get paid. This is how I pay my bills, and most importantly, this is how I pay my tax bill every single year."
Questioning the rationale behind the fines, Beasley argued that maintaining her job while keeping her children happy and housed is "more important" than their constant presence in school.
One person in the comments didn't agree with Beasley, stating: "I’m sorry you’re not special because it’s your work! There’s people who can’t take holidays in August so that leaves them also in a difficult position!"
A second said: "Here's an idea ..wait until they're officially off school then go on holiday."
However, most of the comments were more sympathetic towards Beasley's situation.
"Who gave these people so much power over OUR children," one person wrote, with a second adding: "Makes me so angry. They quick to close schools for teacher training days, voting days and more."
What are your thoughts?
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