Yorkshire mum to deliver 113,000 strong petition pleading not to 'punish' fearful parents with school fines

Sheffield's Jennifer Dunstan, whose son Rio has special educational needs, is fearful there will be nobody to look after him if she gets ill as she suffers from an auto-immune condition.

Parents are being forced into an impossible position if their children do not return to school, she claims, as she called for fines to be scrapped if families are concerned.

"There is a potentially deadly pandemic that is invisible and seems invincible," she said. "The return of fines is unfair and irrational. It simply doesn't make sense."

Miss Dunstan, 40, is a single parent to nine-year-old Rio, who attends a Special Education Needs (SEN) school in the city.

He has been granted a two-week leave of absence from his school as a "compromise", she said, as she is unwilling for him to return.

'Forced to keep son out of school'

She has condemned the Government's decision that parents will be fined if children's absences are unauthorised, and is now pushing forward in the hope of a judicial review.

"Their message is still unclear and confused, and that is creating a loss of trust from the public," she said.

"I feel very sorry for the teachers, heads, and local authorities, who are struggling to implement instruction from a government which is not only changing the goalposts but not giving complete reasons.

"I have every faith in the quality of the British education system," she added. "I strongly believe children and young people have the right to access this.

"I don't want to keep my son out of school - I am forced to keep my son out of school. This is the only safe way.

"I feel strongly that I'm making a responsible decision. It's by far not the easy decision."

The petition on Change.com has now secured 113,000 signatures and will be taken to Sheffield Town Hall this morning, with the city council pledging to ensure it is delivered to central government.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “Getting all children back into their classrooms full-time is a national priority, because it is the best place for their education, development and wellbeing.

“Regular and full time school attendance from the start of term will be essential to help pupils catch up on time out of the classroom. In all our decision making we have balanced the need to continue to control transmission of COVID-19 with the real and ongoing cost to children’s learning, welfare and health from being out of school.”

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James Mitchinson