Petition against council school attendance campaign
Flyers sent out by East Sussex County Council saying there is no good reason for children to miss school has been labeled “insulting”
A petition against the campaign, which tells parents to send children to school if they have colds, has received more than 6,000 signatures.
The “get a Grip” Leaflets were sent to parents whose children missed at least three days of the current school year.
They also give advice on "being more organised" the night before school.
The petition, set up by Ella Lewis of Seaford, calls for the council to withdraw the campaign and apologise "for the insulting treatment of and attitude towards parents".
It states families feel alienated and "blindly attacked" by the campaign, especially those "struggling with serious illnesses, traumas and ongoing disabilities and conditions".
The petition adds: "Of course we don't want our children to miss the curriculum, and of course we don't want teachers wasting their time catching children up instead of teaching the class, but there is nothing we can do about it."
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