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Police are fining parents for taking their kids on vacation

The German police want to make sure parents travelling with school-age kids know that they won't let Deutschland become Ditchland.

Police are fining parents for taking their kids on vacation

Photo: iStockphoto

Summer break is almost here (for the kids at least), which means it's almost time for your next family vacay! For a lot of parents, the summer is peak travel season, but in order to beat the rush (and save a few bucks on airline tickets) many are opting to take off a week or two early. Sounds like a great idea, right? It turns out, the German police don't agree.

According to a recent police report, cops at the Memmingen Airport in Bavaria charged 10 different families with enabling truancy of their school-age kids. Yep, these families are getting charged with a fine (which, according to a local news report, can be up to €1,000) just for taking their kids out of school early to go on a cost-effective family vacation.

Now, this may seem like a harsh punishment for attempting to create lasting family memories on the cheap, but in Germany, school attendance is mandatory and parents must apply for permission from the school's headmaster before pulling their kids from class.

According to a translated version of the police report, the investigating officers "were able to determine that the children [from] had stayed away from school without being excused." Police have urged parents not to take their kids out of school before the official start of summer vacation.

While we totally feel for the parents, it sounds like this rule isn't anything new for them so they probably should've known better. Thankfully in Canada, schools are more lax with attendance and only involve the police if students are habitually absent. So go ahead and save a few bucks on that vacation by booking early because chances are, your kids will probably just be watching movies in class anyways. #endoftheyear

Read more: The debate: Should kids miss school for a family vacation? 6 ways to help your kids beat jet lag

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Kevin is an associate editor for Canadian Business in Toronto, Ontario. More of their work can be found in MSN Canada, Chatelaine and This Magazine

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