School Attendance Controversy: Parents To Pay Large Fine For Taking Their Grieving Kids Away From School For Vacation; Is Travelling An Effective Way To Cope With Grief?

Is it reasonable for parents to let their kids go absent from school for a week to go on a vacation after their beloved grandmother passed away? For Little Mead Primary Academy school, it is definitely not reasonable. The school decided to fine the parents for taking their grieving children away from school to go on a family vacation in Spain.

According to the report from Yahoo Parenting, the parents' names were Richard and Kerry Bowering and their daughters are 10-year-old Tori and 7-year-old Maddison. The father explained the reason for the family vacation.

"In January, their gran died of cancer and then at the end of February their mum had a hysterectomy for cervical cancer," Richard said. "They were really badly affected by those things -- it was a nightmare time -- so we thought we would give them a break and take them on holiday."

The father continued to explain that he asked permission from the school's headmistress but she refused. However, the family pushed through with the one-week family vacation despite the refusal from the headmistress. The consequence of their actions is that they need to pay the fines.

The report revealed that the initial fine was $340. But because the case went to court when the couple refused to pay, the fine and costs went up to a total of about $1400.

"The council has a duty to follow the current legislation and national guidelines relating to pupil attendance, as set out in the Department for Education's guidance," a Bristol City Council spokesman said. "This includes fines which are also set out by central government."

According to a psychologist Claire Bidwell Smith via Psychology Today, going on a vacation is a good idea for coping with grief. "No matter your emotional state, traveling always provides an insightful vantage point into your life, but when you're grieving, that vantage point often widens into something much more," she added. "Reminding yourself that there is a whole world out there still turning on its axis can be vital."

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