MPs critical of fine for Hague school over missed class photo

By Janene Pieters on July 12, 2017 - 15:10
Tweede Kamer
The Chairman's seat at the Tweede Kamerphoto: JanKranendonk / DepositPhotos

Dutch parliamentarians are shocked that a court ordered a Hague school to pay compensation to a mother whose kids missed the class photo. The kids missed the class photo because it was taken during Eid al-Adha, and the court ordered the school to pay their mother 500 euros in compensation.

SGP parliamentarian Roelof Bisschop "hopes wholeheartedly" that the school will appeal against this ruling, he said to AD. "It's clear nonsense. I would like to file an appeal myself. This verdict must be investigated. There seems to be no thought put into it."

"A ridiculously high compensation", according to CDA MP Michel Rog said. "The parents chose the school themselves. I call this consumer behavior." He too would be "interested to see" what a higher court thinks about this case.

PVV MP Harm Beertema "hopes and prays" that another judge looks at this case. "This sentence can not stand, otherwise I predict a very boring school time in which all extras is deleted", he said to AD. "There are many cultures and religions, but you never hear about them. It's always Islam again."

SP parliamentarian Peter Kwint points out that the school tried to accommodate the mother - the photographer came back another day to take the individual photos of the kids who weren't at school on photo day - yet she still went to court. "What damage was suffered then?" he wants to know. "I have school pictures where I suffered more emotional damage because I was in them. Of course the school should have handled it better. But that a school board and parents now see each other in court, I find that sad and extremely undesirable." He called the case "quite ridiculous."

According to D66 MP Paul van Meenen, the interests of the children rarely feature in such cases. "It's a picture!" he said. Van Meenen points out that everyone has the right to turn to court. "As long as you think about when you use that right. You could say that it is an example of a very successful integration, that these parents found their way to court."

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