The issue of children’s absence from school during the war came into the spotlight after reports began to circulate in parent communities about new requirements from the administrations of individual educational institutions. The point was that schools had allegedly stopped accepting general explanations about family circumstances or the child’s poor health and were requiring parents to describe in detail the reason for the absence, and in case of illness, to also attach a medical certificate. Against the backdrop of these reports, the Ministry of Education and Science provided an explanation that removes the main question: for a one-time absence of a child from classes, parents are not obliged to disclose private circumstances in detail.
What parents must inform the school about
The Ministry of Education and Science explained that in the event of a missed class, one of the parents or another legal representative of the child must notify the school of the student’s absence. For this, either a medical certificate or a written explanation in any form is sufficient. This rule means that the school must receive a notification of the reason for the absence, but parents are not required to turn a brief explanation into a detailed description of the child’s family situation or health status.
Because of this, wording such as “due to family circumstances” or “due to poor health” remains permissible if it is a regular notification of missed classes. The requirement to necessarily detail the reason for the absence, which was put forward by schools in some cases, was not confirmed in the MES explanation.
What caused a wave of misunderstandings
The reason for the discussion was the update of the government resolution that regulates the procedure for recording school attendance by students. Following the changes, complaints surfaced on social media that some school administrators were interpreting the new rules much more strictly than the document stated. Parents were told that general explanations were no longer sufficient, and that absences due to illness should be confirmed by a certificate in each case.
The Ministry of Education stressed that the recent changes did not apply to the procedure by which parents should inform the school of their child’s absence. That is, the update of government regulations did not cancel the possibility of submitting a written explanation in free form and did not introduce an obligation to disclose the specific circumstances of the absence each time.
Is it necessary to carry a doctor’s certificate
The Ministry of Education’s clarification is important primarily for those parents who are faced with the requirement to bring a medical document after each absence due to illness. The Ministry indicates that a notification of absence can be issued in two ways: either through a medical certificate or through a written explanation. Therefore, a certificate is not a universally mandatory document in every situation related to a child’s poor health.
Such an approach has both practical and legal significance, as it allows the school to keep records of attendance, and parents not to provide the educational institution with unnecessary details related to the family’s private life or the child’s health.
Can parents be fined for a one-time absence
The Ministry of Education and Science emphasized that parents will not be fined for a child’s one-time absence. This clarification appeared because fears have recently increased in the public space that any absence without a certificate will automatically have financial consequences for the family. The Ministry made it clear that it is a different approach: the school must know why the student did not show up for classes, but a single absence does not mean administrative prosecution of the parents.
Therefore, it is important to distinguish between ordinary short-term absence and the systematic dropping out of the educational process, which already raises questions about the realization of the child’s right to education.
Under what conditions does the situation become more serious?
The Ministry drew attention to the limit beyond which the issue of school absences takes on a different character. If a student does not appear at school for ten consecutive working days, and the reasons for such absence remain unknown or are not recognized as valid, a note is made in the child’s profile as “not covered” or “not covered” by education.
Such a record indicates that this is no longer a one-time absence or a short absence due to everyday circumstances, but a risk of the child’s actual withdrawal from the educational process. For the school, this becomes a signal that the situation should be investigated more deeply, since prolonged absence without proper contact with the family may indicate problems that go beyond discipline or the usual organization of education.
When can the police and social services be involved in the situation
The explanations previously voiced by the head of the juvenile police of Ukraine, Vasyl Bohdan, already apply to those cases when there is a systematic absence from school and at the same time there is no contact with the parents. In such circumstances, teachers should notify law enforcement and children’s services to find out what is happening to the child, whether he is safe and whether his right to education is not being violated.
In cases of serious neglect, adults can be held administratively liable under Article 184 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses. At the same time, the explanations emphasized that such a mechanism is considered an extreme tool for protecting a child, which is used when it comes to long-term ignoring of duties, and not to a single missed class.
The ministry’s position boils down to a fairly clear logic: the school must be informed about the child’s absence, but parents are not obliged to disclose details of family life every time or confirm every illness with a medical certificate. For a regular notification, a written explanation in any form is sufficient, unless the situation requires separate documentary confirmation.
At the same time, a child’s prolonged absence without a clear explanation already goes beyond the scope of current communication between parents and the school, since in this case it is a matter of monitoring whether the child remains covered by education. Through this explanation, the Ministry of Education and Science actually draws a line between everyday school routine and situations that require the intervention of state authorities.
