“Legal harassment” – child is home schooled: mother risks jail!

Mask and test requirements, supervised confusion and general dissatisfaction with the domestic education system: last year more than 4000 students were taken out of school by their parents and homeschooled, by the end of the school year more than half of them did not return to the classes.

The parents of these children will now do so accused of endangering the well-being of the child. One mother – she wishes to remain anonymous – would even have to have her child removed, another risks seven days in prison: Barbara Panner was not prepared to pay the administrative fines that the parents then had to face: “That would be a problem for me an admission of guilt.”

Parents: ‘Tightening measures were against the well-being of the child’
The core of the dispute revolves around the so-called external exam: this must be taken by anyone who wants to teach their child at home. But many parents refused – for a number of reasons: “In theory, we should have taken the external exam in June. There was no clarity until May,” explains mother Manuela Bittgen in the “Krone” interview. There was no legal transition period, you were not allowed to have contact with the exam school, the subject matter was not limited and you were sent away if you had any questions.

The fact that a primary school child then had to appear before the board of examiners without a parent also met with incomprehension from the parents, so the purport is. In principle, however, people always wanted to do the test, just not under these circumstances. And: “The tightening has absolutely not taken place in the interest of the children.”

Although homeschooling is constitutionally enshrined, the Education Directorate can prohibit it — whenever “it is highly likely that the education is not of equal value,” the ministry said. If the external exam is refused or not passed, the school year must automatically be made up at a public law school; last year there was no possibility to re-exam.

Failure to do so will result in administrative fines – which vary per district: between 400 and 6,000 euros.

Children had to go to court
In the summer, the Education Directorate increased the pressure: children and young people who left school without permission had to appear in court. “They were asked with a dictaphone why they do not go to school and whether they know that this can also have consequences,” says a mother. Because some of the children were under 14 years old, the parents insisted they could be there. “The judges reluctantly accepted that.”

Homeschooling is certainly not for everyone, say parents. But it was the right decision for their families. The children are also not isolated, but have many contacts: ‘We do many more learning trips and projects together than would be the case at school.’ made to take this exam.”

Polaschek: ‘I don’t see any restrictions’
“Everyone knew there were exams. Exams have always taken place,” said Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) at the request of krone.tv. To make the procedure safer and more objective, a separate board of examiners was set up. This was necessary because, unlike before the pandemic, when the vast majority of children and young people had very good test results, test results got significantly worse after the pandemic. ‘It turned out that the children and young people who were well prepared all passed these tests very well. I don’t see any restrictions here.”

Polaschek: ‘No reason for compulsory education’
However, Polaschek sees no reason for compulsory education, as is the case in Germany and is demanded by the union of compulsory school teachers: there is very good home schooling by extremely involved parents. You must take action if there is a risk that the children will not be properly taught by their parents.