Parents sound the alarm: Give the schoolchildren back the gym - and look for other alternatives for refugees
Created: 2022-05-26Updated: 2022-05-26 12:11 PM
By: Kathrin Böhmer
Like here, refugees from the Ukraine are housed in the gymnasium of the Viscardi high school in Fürstenfeldbruck (symbolic photo).
© Roessler/DPA
The Parents' Council of the Viscardi Gymnasium has sent an open letter to politicians such as District Administrator Thomas Karmasin and Prime Minister Markus Söder.
It contains the urgent appeal: Find alternatives for Ukraine refugees so that the children can do sports again.
Fürstenfeldbruck – The parents' council of the Viscardi-Gymnasium has sent an open letter to District Administrator Thomas Karmasin.
The addressees also include Prime Minister Markus Söder, Minister of State Joachim Herrmann and Brucker Mayor Erich Raff. In the letter, the parents ask that alternative accommodation for Ukraine refugees be found so that the school gymnasium is free again.
84 refugees are currently accommodated there.
The letter, signed on behalf of all parents by the chairman of the parents' council, Inka Pavlov, expressly begins with the fact that the Brucker Gymnasium is committed to helping the refugees intensively and "with full conviction".
The school was one of the first in the district to take in Ukrainian children and young people.
You have created your own concept.
In the meantime, 34 Ukrainian students are being taught here in three welcome groups and are being looked after separately.
This undertaking is currently supported by 21 volunteers, consisting of parents, active and former teachers - all on a voluntary basis.
When the weather is bad, children do gymnastics in the classroom between benches and satchels
When the sports hall became an improvised home for the refugees at the end of March this year, the school family was aware that this would put an additional strain on daily operations.
But you also saw the need.
According to the parents' council, physical education classes are now held outside.
However, if the weather is bad, only the classroom remains for more than 1,100 students, in which theory lessons or simple exercises are carried out between satchels and discarded clothing.
However, sport is an important connecting element in everyday school life.
The children recently proved that in the peace runs, which raised a “sensational amount” of 61,500 euros for aid in the Ukraine.
(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular FFB newsletter.)
Another argument: The Viscardi-Gymnasium is a performance-oriented base school in the sports of volleyball, athletics and movement arts.
The circus, with more than 250 active students, has an international reputation and has represented Germany twice at the World Gymnaestrada.
These groups are dependent on appropriate training opportunities, which are currently not available.
Especially due to the pandemic, there is a great need for joint sports
"Despite all the helpfulness and commitment of the school family of the Viscardi-Gymnasium, this is not a situation that is sustainable in the long term," says the open letter.
And further: “We therefore urge you to find alternative accommodation for refugees immediately, which are certainly available in the Fürstenfeldbruck district.” After two years of the pandemic, all young people have a special need for exercise and social interaction in sporting competitions.
"Our children have a right to education, including physical education."