Following the government plans to return all children to schools from September, are the threats of fining parents who do not comply. At a time when the transmission of Covid 19 is still not at a safe level and without a vaccination programme being in place, this is not acceptable. Threatening parents who have legitimate concerns about the health of their children, vulnerable family members and the wider community only results in more anxiety for parents and their children. This is likely to result in parents feeling forced to remove their children from school registers, in an attempt to home educate; due to being presented with a choice of paying the fines or facing court action.

As parents we know that removing our children from the school register may result in not being able to re- register them again at a later date. Given the levels of poverty, deprivation and children living in overcrowded housing conditions, this is likely to make these problems even worse.

Furthermore, with Leicester being the first city to be locked down in the country- there is enough evidence of increased transmission rates in under eighteens.

We did notify the local authority of our concerns on wider opening of schools on June 1st.This is proof that our concerns were valid. Please do not dismiss our concerns this time. Commit to no imposition of fines on parents who choose their health and safety first.