French mayor introduces fines for parents late to pick up children from school
Parents face fine of up to €30 if they are late multiple times
Repeat offenders will face higher penalties
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Parents who are late to pick up their children at the end of the school day now face a fine in some parts of France.
The mayor of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse (in the Vaucluse department) – the most recent place to institute the fines – proposed them across the board for parents who do not pick their children up after 18:00 from schools or local after-school care services.
The town council voted in favour, and they are now in place for the 2024 - 2025 school year.
Read more: What changes in schools for the 2024 autumn rentrée in France
A fine of €5 is levied if a parent is 10 or 20 minutes late, rising to €20 if they arrive after 18:30. Repeat offenders will see fines increase, rising to €30 for a 30-minute delay.
Other communes in France have previously set up such fines, including Toulouse and parts of the Sarthe department.
This ‘late tax’ seeks to minimise the increasing number of parents who pick up their children late, forcing school workers to stay out-of-hours and increasing running costs.
“Some parents arrive late on a regular basis, and every time they do, two childminders have to stay on,” said Marion Lalane de Laubadère, deputy of education in Toulouse, where fines are also staggered.
The punishments “correspond to the salary [of the parents],” alongside the number of times they fall foul of regulations, she said to Le Parisien.
Parents lash out
However, many parents are not happy and say the fines do not account for one-off circumstances for otherwise punctual collectors.
“The people most affected by these delays are the parents who have to juggle work, late hours, transport and the numerous traffic jams,” said Aziz Aboularab, a parent in Toulouse and vice president of the local parents association.
Parents in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse mostly agree.
“It's unfair. We already get enough fines,” said one parent to local media France Bleu.
“A fine for being late? Drivers don't get fined for parking in disabled spots but you get fined for arriving late at the nursery! But you can't solve everything with fines,” added another.
Some however think the fines are good.
‘It's normal because it makes employees stay longer - it's a principle of life and respect for the people who stay longer to look after our children,” said one.
“I live in front of the school and I see parents arriving late. It's also a discipline imposed on the children. If people don't want to pay, they will be on time. You have to hit them in the wallet,” another added.
