Ministry of Education Proposes Amendments to Improve Schoolchildren’s Protection from Violence

The Ministry of Education sent an amendment to the School Instruction Act for assessment on Thursday. The aim is to improve the protection of schoolchildren from physical, psychological and sexualised violence. The measures include a code of conduct “for all people involved in school life”, a risk analysis and a child protection team for each school as well as regulations on how to proceed in the event of possible hazards, including bans on entering the school.

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New: Quote from Polaschek (third to last paragraph)

Binding rules of conduct that apply to students, teachers, other employees and legal guardians are intended to ensure that there is no violence in school life, explained the department of Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) in the legal materials on the code of conduct that schools will develop in the future and also set out the consequences of violations. Dealing with each other and the relationship to each other should be “guided by respect and mindfulness, as well as respect for the dignity of others”.

Risk analyzes every three years

The planned risk analyzes are to be carried out in the schools every three years. A distinction is made between three groups of dangers: dangers outside of school that are perceived at school, dangers in the way students interact with one another, and dangers from adults at school. The analysis addresses various questions: How is access for non-schoolers on the school premises regulated? Are there rooms or places that harbor a risk potential? Are there times, places, situations where students are unsupervised and alone? Are there situations in which an adult is alone with a single student in a room that cannot be seen? How is the communication at school?

A child protection team for each school – or, in the case of small schools, a team for several schools – should be available to advise, observe and support, both to prevent violence against or between students, but also to intervene, advise and support teachers and students and the school administration in the event of possible hazards.

culture of looking

According to the Ministry of Education, the aim of the fourth measure, the determination of the procedure in the event of possible hazards, is to define clear regulations for the school location “that enable a culture of looking and open communication while protecting the interests of all those involved, so that dangerous situations can be recognized at an early stage”. . Suspicions must be carefully examined so that appropriate interventions can be carried out quickly in the event of possible hazards. However, these must be carefully considered to avoid false attributions. In the event of violations, specific measures could be taken, including bans on entry for certain people for security reasons.

“Austria’s schools must be a place of safety, security and personal development for every child,” said Polaschek in a statement sent to APA. “There is an absolute zero-tolerance policy in my department when it comes to abuse. In the future, we will ensure even better that our children have the best possible protection at all Austrian schools.”

In principle, only those people who have a legal basis for doing so or who have a legal interest in doing so should have access to schools. For this purpose, a certain group of people is to be defined in a regulation that is yet to be issued. All others are prohibited from entering, a breach constitutes an administrative offence.

According to the explanations, the beneficiaries should include not only students and employees but also parents, for example on consultation days or to present certain documents. In addition, there are also suppliers, canteen operators or employees of other companies who carry out orders at the school or employees of blue light organizations and certain offices.

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