What are acceptable reasons to take kids out of school early?

[nickstraub 2]

Hello all,

 

It is my understanding that in Germany school is mandatory and you can’t just take your kids out of school and go on a vacation. After some research and seeing other posts in this forum I see that there are exceptions such as a death in the family and what not. I was wondering what are acceptable reasons to take a kid out of school a few days earlier than the breaks. To be clear I am not trying to fight this or bend any rules. I would like to take my kids to my family Labor Day celebration which is very important in my family and gave me many great memories as I was growing up. Therefore I would like my kids to experience that if possible.  

[optimista 5,934]

I don't know - but my gut tells me a cultural event in a foreign land ain t gonna cut it.

 

You need to ask the school directly.

[MikeMelga 7,345]

You will need a written statement from the school to pass at the airport. So you need to ask them what is acceptable.

But a festivity is not a valid reason. Something like you have a specialist's doctor appointment in your home country and your partner can't stay for some reason.

[Krieg 15,104]

Cultural and family events is actually what is most accepted.   You just have to sell it as that, cultural and family, and write a bit about what the kids are going to learn from such experience and how it was important to you in your own life.

[Brockman 222]

We applied for permission to take our son out of school on the last week (2.5 days in July) and our reason was so that he could attend summer camp in the US. It was accepted without issue but we did have to fill in an official looking form from the school and get the school director to sign off on it (Berlin). We know several people that did this and it did not seem to be an issue for anyone. We were also told to keep the school permission letter on hand in case we would be asked for it at the airport, but this did not happen (in fact, the Berlin airport has so many issues it's hard to imagine them checking for kids being taken out of school a few days early - they can barely check people's basic documents).

[catjones 1,716]

1 hour ago, Brockman said:

Berlin airport has so many issues it's hard to imagine them checking for kids being taken out of school a few days early - they can barely check people's basic documents).

 

And if the OP's kids have American passports, then what?  Are they "going" to the US or "returning" to the US?  

[snowingagain 5,465]

I wrote to my daughter's school re travel to UK for mother's 80th birthday.  It was during a week when the class was going on a ski trip, so just subistute teaching.  Head teacher refused.  Arse.  Anyway, German friend kindly  wrote a really grovelling long letter, which worked.  Following year ballsed up booking online, needed a last day off.   Sorry folks, I lied.  The children were old enough.  A bit cloak and dagger, getting on the tram and train with suitcases.  Ringing in sick from a French platform in the morning was tricky,  with the lovely "bah babah baah" announcements in the background.  Sorry, bad parent.

[snowingagain 5,465]

8 minutes ago, catjones said:

And if the OP's kids have American passports, then what?  Are they "going" to the US or "returning" to the US?  

But lying is not good idea at a border.  Lying to police, immigration.  Really, it can get messy.

[snowingagain 5,465]

55 minutes ago, snowingagain said:

Ringing in sick from a French platform in the morning was tricky,  with the lovely "bah babah baah"

I miss it.  Must go again soon.

 

 

[BethAnnBitt 3,018]

2 hours ago, snowingagain said:

But lying is not good idea at a border.  Lying to police, immigration.  Really, it can get messy.

I guess the kids here have it easy since people generally fly from Zürich to go forth and see the world.  The Swiss couldn’t be bothered to police whether or not kids living in Germany are on school break or not.

[kiplette 8,802]

Choosing a time which extends an existing holiday is apparently harder to grant. I have not found that necessarily so.

 

We have had successes with

- taking the kids out one day early before the Christmas holiday because their Dad was posted back to the UK and the last day of school was the 23rd, which was cutting it fine for being with him on the 24th

- taking them out year after year (maybe 3-4 years in a row) for an international event in France which we were asked to be representatives for - involved a Thurs/Fri off school

- my son has been allowed to return to the UK for Reservist interview/training - two mid-weekdays so far 

 

As above there is an official form to fill out, and 

10 minutes ago, Krieg said:

You just have to sell it as that, cultural and family,

 

this is what our kids teachers added in their comments bit, so it certainly helped - opportunity to speak native language, to see whatever customs/traditional whatevers first hand.

 

We asked for some extra time one Easter, and the head said that he was happy for us to go, but that he couldn't do an Erlaubnis, because we'd had too many (1, I think, that year, not that I was constantly taking them out of school ) and the class teacher said that she was fine with it, but we had to be extra careful because our Haftpflicht versicherung wouldn't cover us eg. if a kid caused a traffic accident and we were liable for millions. So that seems to be the main actual issue.

 

Borders are not so bad because Bundesländer have different holidays, which are doled out according to some Beamter's whim (this may be news to those of you in Bavaria and BW because you are special and freed from this hell) and therefore a border guard can't easily know if your kid is within holiday times or not.

 

 

 

 

[MikeMelga 7,345]

5 hours ago, Krieg said:

Cultural and family events is actually what is most accepted.   You just have to sell it as that, cultural and family, and write a bit about what the kids are going to learn from such experience and how it was important to you in your own life.

Not in my son's school...

[jeba 4,364]

Back in the day, I often travelled with my kids in and out of Germany outside German holiday times. Never ever were there any questions from border control.

[optimista 5,934]

Those were the days. How times change. 

[HH_Sailor 3,668]

18 hours ago, Brockman said:

 We were also told to keep the school permission letter on hand in case we would be asked for it at the airport, but this did not happen (in fact, the Berlin airport has so many

issues it's hard to imagine them checking for kids being taken out of school a few days early - they can barely check people's basic documents).

 

and the fact that German passports list have addresses and German school holidays are staggered.

My kid's school even has "movable free days", giving the school a few days off outside of the Schleswig-Holstein Ferien.

 

Which border control can follow that one up?

[snowingagain 5,465]

25 minutes ago, HH_Sailor said:

and the fact that German passports list have addresses and German school holidays are staggered.

My kid's school even has "movable free days", giving the school a few days off outside of the Schleswig-Holstein Ferien.

 

Which border control can follow that one up?

Anyone with a reasonable excuse will be all right.  The do not stop you leaving, but just remind you about Schulpflicht,  take note your details and report to the school district authority who decide what action to take.

 

Bußgeld varies by state, from up to 1000 Euro for most states, but Berlinj, Brandenburg and MVP is is up to 2,500.  

[catjones 1,716]

7 hours ago, snowingagain said:

Anyone with a reasonable excuse will be all right.  The do not stop you leaving, but just remind you about Schulpflicht,  take note your details and report to the school district authority who decide what action to take.

 

 

 

Please provide a link where this has happened.

[snowingagain 5,465]

34 minutes ago, catjones said:

 

Please provide a link where this has happened.

It probably will not satisfy you, as this is Germany, so no Daily Mail headlines and examples, but here is rather old one link with some numbers.

 

Control at the airport: truant parents threatened with fines - Stuttgart - Stuttgarter Nachrichten (stuttgarter-nachrichten.de)

 

Police grab several truants at the airport (hna.de)

 

 

[catjones 1,716]

Anyone who wanted to travel to Mallorca, Greece or Turkey in the past week was allowed to take off, even if they Federal police had found a violation of compulsory education. 

So travel to any other country is considered ok.

 

"I've never had a case like this," says Barbara Graf, the executive principal of the grammar schools in Stuttgart

No Kidding.  Maybe the federal police has a few more important things to do than to interrogate parents.   Do trains count?   How do they check automobile travel?  Just more examples of the daddy-state.

[wien4ever 447]

On 12/5/2022, 6:00:10, catjones said:

 

And if the OP's kids have American passports, then what?  Are they "going" to the US or "returning" to the US?  

 

when you leave the usa  they will see you have no stamp in the passport , them you'll have to show your residence permit, which then means you have to show permission to leave school!