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Homeschooling because of Corona (symbol picture)
Photo:
Karl-Josef Hildenbrand / DPA
For the first time in the pandemic, nationwide uniform rules for school closings are to apply in Germany's schools, depending on a certain incidence value.
The basis for this is provided by the so-called federal emergency brake, which the Bundestag and Bundesrat have now decided.
This should make a stricter approach to contain the corona crisis possible - but for individual federal states, the new rules are more lax than those previously applicable there.
The federal emergency brake provides a
threshold of 165
.
If the seven-day incidence
exceeds
this value on three consecutive days,
distance learning is announced
in schools, vocational schools, universities, adult education institutions and similar institutions
from the day
after
next
.
Face-to-face teaching is prohibited.
However, exceptions
are possible for
final classes and special needs schools
.
The brake also applies to daycare centers, but the federal states can enable emergency care.
The school brake expires if the seven-day incidence falls below the threshold value of 165 on five consecutive days.
From a
100-incidence
, that is 100 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, is
changing lessons
from the day after the next duty.
In addition,
students are
required to
test themselves twice a week
.
Only those who can present a negative test result are allowed to take part in face-to-face classes.
It is still unclear when the federal law will come into force.
It is expected in the coming days.
"Completely new situation"
The threshold value of 165 has not yet existed in any federal state.
When it comes to incidences and school closings, the federal states have each set their own rules - and are now faced with different challenges.
Some do not even want to adhere to the new rules.
An overview in examples:
Saxony
has so far left its schools open regardless of the number of cases on site. Now children, parents and teachers are facing a kind of emergency brake with the new Federal Infection Protection Act. None of the 13 independent cities and districts is below an incidence of 100. This means that at least alternating lessons are required. In nine districts or cities, however, the threshold of 165 is exceeded, so that, according to the new regulation, pupils must be sent home for distance learning.
The
new law is also changing school operations
in
Thuringia
. Here, the seven-day incidence on Thursday in only 5 of 23 counties was less than 165 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants. In all other circles, schools and daycare centers will probably have to be closed according to the federal emergency brake. So far, the rules in the state only stipulated that if there was an incidence of 150 school closings, they should be "checked". Otherwise, according to the requirements of the Ministry of Culture, mostly regular lessons took place in restricted regular operations or alternating lessons.
Now - unlike before - with the "Federal Emergency Brake" from an incidence of 100, primary school children are also to be trained in an alternate model.
With alternating lessons, only half of the students are at school, the other half stay at home for distance lessons.
"This means a whole new situation for parents of primary school children," said the spokesman for the Ministry of Education, Felix Knothe.
more on the subject
Despite criticism from the country leaders: Federal Council approves Corona emergency brake
Corona rules in Bavarian schools: Distance teaching and compulsory testing are constitutional
School operations in the pandemic: Nothing learned? A comment by Miriam Olbrisch
In
North Rhine-Westphalia
only an incidence value of 200 was decisive for school closings.
On Thursday, more than a dozen cities and districts were above the old threshold, and around a handful more exceeded the new threshold of 165.
This would mean that more students would have to be sent to distance learning here as well.
The nationwide corona emergency brake naturally also applies to NRW, emphasized State Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) on Thursday in the WDR.
How and when exactly the state of North Rhine-Westphalia will make the transition, he cannot yet say, said Laumann.
Maybe you give the parents "one more day" to prepare.
"I couldn't get the 165 on my own"
Lower Saxony,
on the other hand, had already switched to distance teaching with an incidence of 100. Now the schools here are likely to remain open even if there is an increased incidence of infection. You want to stick to the federal emergency brake. Secondary schools should close from a seven-day incidence of 165, said Minister of Education Grant Hendrik Tonne of the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung".
"Even if I wouldn't have come up with 165 on my own, but if we then make changes, it also makes sense to orientate ourselves towards a uniform national border," said the minister, but did not decide when exactly the new regulations would take effect should. “If it does get later, the disappointment will be great. In any case, we don't wait a day longer than necessary, but act as quickly as possible if the tests and the reporting chains work perfectly. "
First of all, the tests must work reliably for students and teaching staff.
That is not yet 100 percent the case in Lower Saxony.
After all, 3,000 schools have to be supplied, so things still jerk at one point or another.
Tonne promised May to apply the nationwide school brake.
In Lower Saxony - as of Thursday - around 25 cities and districts had an incidence of over 100, but only around a handful had an incidence of over 165.
Bavaria
had previously also had somewhat stricter requirements than those provided by the federal government.
With seven-day incidences between 50 and 100, alternating lessons were announced, from a limit value of 100 the local schools were closed - and it should stay that way: »The new version of the Infection Protection Act changes for teaching at schools in Bavaria the federal government for the time being «, writes the Ministry of Education on its website.
Since the number of infections in Bavaria is still very high, the stricter rules should continue to apply.
The new Infection Protection Act explicitly allows this.
"Serious design flaw"
Also,
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
wants to stick to their own, more stringent course.
The schools, which have been closed since the beginning of this week, would not reopen until the seven-day incidence in the country was below 100 for a week.
"Then the schools will reopen for face-to-face teaching with a step-by-step plan," tweeted Education Minister Bettina Martin (SPD).
It will remain with the new Federal Infection Protection Act, affirmed Martin.
As long as the nationwide seven-day incidence in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is above 100, distance learning and emergency care for certain children in grades one to six would continue.
Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig sharply criticized the new regulation.
"This federal law does not keep what it promises," said Schwesig in the "ZDF morning magazine".
The emergency brake remains "far" behind the agreed rules.
Your state will not implement the federal guideline "because it does not help the people."
Schwesig accused the law of having a "serious design flaw", particularly with regard to the schools.
"The number 165 has not yet been derived properly," she said.
It also does not correspond to the limit of 150 agreed in the Prime Minister's Conference (MPK). "It is better if we get down the infection numbers strictly, consistently and quickly than for us to level off at a high level," said the Prime Minister.
Otherwise it would go "back and forth".
"That will wear people down."
With material from dpa
