Extreme wave of illness in Bavaria's schools: "Don't remind me that I've experienced something like this before"

Created: 06/12/2022, 05:05

The wave of illness has reached the schools in Bavaria.

(Iconic image) © IMAGO / Cavan Images

At Bavaria's schools, there are above-average sickness rates almost everywhere.

Sometimes lessons have to be canceled - because more and more teachers are affected.

Munich – After Corona is before the cold: The wave of illness has reached the schools, depending on the region.

In contrast to small children, the dreaded RS virus is not the problem.

Rather, normal diseases are rampant: colds, flu, gastrointestinal - the whole range.

At the high school in Olching (district of Fürstenfeldbruck), more than 200 of the 950 students are missing.

Sabine Jackermeier, head of the primary school at SteinPark in Freising, reports on a class in which more than half the children are missing.

In the Miesbach district, the school authority reports on an elementary and middle school in which 70 of the 300 children are ill.

At the elementary and middle school in Kirchseeon (Ebersberg district), more than 100 of the 580 children are sick, and sometimes there are only eight students in the class.

"I can't remember ever having experienced anything like this," says headmaster Franz Kraxenberger.

Colds, flu, gastrointestinal: Bavaria's schools are struggling with a high wave of illness

The wave of illness also spills over to the teachers.

Many are hardened, but now the teachers pick up on the children's illnesses and call in sick, reports elementary school director Jackermeier.

"We can still compensate for up to ten missing colleagues," estimates headmaster Stefan Gasior from the Realschule Baldham (Ebersberg district).

But now 13 of the 80 colleagues are already ill.

In the district of Fürstenfeldbruck, one class had to stay at home for a week – five teachers were missing.

Simone Fleischmann, President of the Bavarian Teachers' Association, confirms that this is allowed.

She knows instructions from the district governments to the school authorities to allow lessons to be shortened in view of the wave of illness.

"That's quite an announcement." However, the cancellation of lessons is a matter of discretion - some school authorities are stricter, others dare more.

(By the way: Our Bayern newsletter informs you about all the important stories from Bavaria. Register here.)

Over six percent of teachers in Bavaria are ill

Even if politicians cannot prevent the virus invasion – the former primary and secondary school principal does not want to relieve the state government of its duty.

“Politicians have recognized that we are walking on the gums in the schools.

The shortage of teachers is no longer disputed.” However, countermeasures are still lacking.

However, the Ministry of Education emphasizes that it has taken precautions: "The mobile reserve was sometimes even oversubscribed." Pregnant teachers are also allowed to teach again.

"We have not received any reports that teaching would be endangered across the board," emphasizes a spokesman.

6.1 percent of teachers are currently on sick leave.

That is a little less than at the peak of the most recent corona wave at the beginning of October, when 6.8 percent of the teachers were missing.

The wave of illness is not so blatant everywhere.

"The reports of illness are even below the level," reports Regine Hoffmann, headmistress of the Anne Frank Grammar School in Erding.

In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the children seem to have hardened: school director Gisela Ehrl says she has experienced far worse in the district.

A massive number of teachers and students stayed at home in October because of a corona infection.

Currently, the failures can still be largely cushioned by mobile reserves.

"The situation is difficult, but manageable." (

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