In Saxony, parents can decide whether their children should go to school again after a two-month Corona forced break or not. The Ministry of Culture temporarily suspended school attendance for primary school students in grades one to four after a court decision.
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There is still compulsory school attendance, but the ministry announced two days before the school reopened that parents could decide whether their children should study at school or at home. The authority responded to a decision by the Leipzig Administrative Court on Friday.
The court had ruled in favor of the parents of a seven-year-old. They had opposed the opening of the elementary schools and argued that the minimum distance of 1.50 meters could not be maintained there.
Saxony had compared to other federal states when the schools reopened decided on a special route. While all other education ministers are banking on bringing schoolchildren to school in small groups in a kind of shift system before the summer holidays, things should be more relaxed in Saxony, at least at primary schools.
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Strict separation instead of distance rules
From this Monday on, elementary school students are allowed to join their usual class associations back to schools. “We can move away from the requirements to keep our distance and form small groups if we strictly separate the classes and groups”, said Minister of Culture Christian Piwarz. The concept was developed together with infectiologists and pediatricians from the clinics in Dresden and Leipzig.
However, the rules on the distance between the groups should be observed, emphasized Piwarz. “A meeting of children from different groups and classes must be strictly avoided both in the buildings and in the open spaces.”
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Teachers ‘and parents’ associations see the concept extremely critically. The Education and Science Union (GEW) warned at “News4teachers” a different strategy to drive than any other state. According to the report, the left in the state parliament spoke of a “dangerous illusion”. Dining rooms, toilets and schoolyards are not strictly separated for individual class groups.
The vintages from level 5 are taught in small groups on a daily basis. Only for pupils in grades 4 to 9 in schools with a focus on intellectual development there is no class up to and including June 1st. Read when and how schools and daycare centers in the federal states reopen An overview here.
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The decision, according to which the classroom attendance is now voluntary, applies in Saxony until June 5. It affects primary schools and the primary area of special schools. The Ministry wants to contest the decision of the Leipzig Administrative Court before the Higher Administrative Court in Bautzen.
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