Petition · past parliament

Give parents an option to not send their kids to school during COVID19 pandemic

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

Give parents this option to keep their kids at home during this pandemic, some of our kids have weak immune systems and our living situation isn't suitable for isolating one member of the family if they fall ill.

Why it was rejected

The UK Government or Parliament was already taking the action it asked for.

The Government has said that it strongly encourages children and young people in the eligible year groups and priority groups to attend, as requested by their school or college, unless they are self-isolating or there are other reasons for absence. However, the Government has also said that parents will not be fined for non-attendance at this time.

You might like to sign this petition, calling for no prosecution for parents that remove child from school during a pandemic: No prosecution for parents that remove child from school during a pandemic.

You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:

www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

The Government has also created an online service to help you find out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support

You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips

You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/

You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/

Timeline

16 May 2020 Petition opened for signatures
5 Jun 2020 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21
Status Rejected
Rejected 5 Jun 2020

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.