At a Dachau school: pedagogical specialists replace school attendants

Created: 06/27/2022, 07:21

By: Thomas Zimmerly

Heidi Schaitl is the district manager of Caritas, which employs many school attendants.

© DN archive

At the Greta Fischer School, two pedagogical specialists are now to replace six school accompaniments - an innovative alternative concept.

Dachau –

School companions are becoming increasingly important in the Dachau district.

101 personal assistants for children with physical disabilities, mental disabilities or mental or emotional disorders are currently working in the district schools.

The trend of using school companions is "going up steeply," said Britta Neumann, who is responsible for youth welfare planning in the district office, at the meeting of the youth welfare committee.

There are currently 21 tutors at the Greta Fischer School alone

There are currently 21 school companions at the Greta Fischer School alone.

For comparison: In the 2019/20 school year there were 14.

In the future, two pedagogical specialists are to replace six school accompaniments at the special educational support center, for which the district is responsible for material expenses.

According to the district office, not all committee members fully approved the “innovative alternative concept”.

It is now the case that the youth welfare office bears the costs for school support for children with mental disabilities alone.

If school attendance is necessary because of a physical or mental disability or because of multiple disabilities, the district steps in.

The parents don't have to pay anything.

28,512 euros are due per year per companion.

The two pedagogical specialists, on the other hand, would come together to 172,000 euros a year.

Overall, their use would be cost-neutral, the district office determined.

The specialists, who are employed by an independent agency, are to be used for the first time in the 2023/24 school year.

According to Neumann, further arguments that speak in favor of the specialists are, for example, that school accompaniment could lead to stigmatization of the children and thus the danger of an increased potential for conflict at the school, according to Neumann.

Caritas, as the sponsor at the school, knew nothing

"I wouldn't attach too much importance to the stigmatization," said committee member Thomas Frey, second chairman of the Dachau Bridge.

Heidi Schaitl, District Manager of Caritas, first heard about the new concept in the meeting proposal.

Caritas provides no fewer than 18 of the 21 school attendants at the Greta Fischer School.

"We would have found it good to have talked to the district office beforehand," says Schaitl.

She also points out that in times of great shortage of skilled workers it could be difficult to find educators.

Therefore, the district office should also think about other suitable professional groups such as social pedagogues and curative education nurses and advertise them accordingly.

In the end, the youth welfare committee unanimously approved the two full-time teaching positions.

The concept is regularly evaluated using external expertise.

The results will then be presented to the youth welfare committee by 2024 at the latest.

You can read more news from the Dachau region here.

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