As of: January 25, 2024, 7:17 p.m
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Dietmar Woidke (SPD, center r), Prime Minister of Brandenburg, speaks in the debate in the Brandenburg state parliament.
© Bernd Settnik/dpa
Around nine months after an incendiary letter from two teachers about right-wing extremism became known, a new law aims to ensure schools react more quickly.
The state parliament is discussing controversial issues.
Potsdam - Brandenburg schools have to react more quickly than before to right-wing extremism - also as a consequence of incidents at a school in the Spreewald.
The state parliament passed a new school law with a majority on Thursday.
According to this, schools must immediately report incidents glorifying National Socialism as well as anti-Semitic or racist incidents to the school authorities.
This was not previously mandatory.
The law is also intended to promote digitalization in schools.
The AfD voted against, the Left abstained.
In April, a teacher at a school in Burg im Spreewald described in an anonymous open letter that they were confronted with right-wing extremism, sexism and homophobia on a daily basis.
After hostility from the right-wing scene, they left the school.
But other schools have also reported similar incidents.
Education Minister Steffen Freiberg (SPD) promoted the change.
“In the future, school management and teachers will be able to react even more effectively to extremist, anti-Semitic or racist behavior,” said Freiberg.
The educational and regulatory measures are at the discretion of the school.
The AfD parliamentary group accused the red-black-green coalition of wanting to silence critics.
“With what they do, they suppress unpleasant opinions, they drag the schools into party-political disputes that don’t belong there,” said Parliamentary Secretary Dennis Hohloch.
The paragraph also creates “crass pressure” on teachers and students.
Green party leader Petra Budke defended the regulation.
“It is right that we take a look and that we act in good time when something goes wrong in schools,” she said.
The left-wing faction accused the AfD of being afraid of reporting right-wing extremism more quickly because this could be dangerous for them.
“It’s about protecting our democracy in our schools,” said MP Kathrin Dannenberg.
Digital teaching at home is included in the law as a possible supplement to face-to-face teaching.
During the corona pandemic, schools were temporarily closed to protect against infection.
This led to some sharp criticism.
With the new law, schools are also obliged to develop protection concepts against violence in order to avoid endangering children's well-being.
More additional staff should take over administrative tasks from teachers.
dpa