School in distress

Room attendant as teacher: parents help her

It is legally possible for people from outside the school to take over the supervision of children in certain cases.(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger/Daniel Scharinger)

The case of a cleaner who had to stand in as a teacher in the afternoon care of almost 50 children at an elementary school in Großhöflein due to serious illness caused a strong reaction. Following criticism, many parents protect the cleaner.

"Certain qualifications are of course necessary in school facilities, but exceptions should be made in an emergency situation. The cleaner deserves a lot of thanks, because of her efforts the afternoon care did not have to be closed," was the tenor of many parents. The families find the criticism of the helper's lack of training to be exaggerated.

Everyone helps out
"In an emergency, everyone should help together to achieve the best for the children," says a school expert from Eisenstadt. This basic attitude also applied at the elementary school in Großhöflein. In addition, the cleaner was not completely alone with the children, it is emphasized.

In order to be close by, the principal had moved the current school enrolment to the corridor, it was reported. The head of the kindergarten also ran a parallel group. "The teaching staff completed the lessons after lunch," it says.

Municipality is the employer 
"In special cases, such as school events, parents can also take over supervision," notes an expert from the educational service. If something had happened to a child under the care of the room attendant, the local authority would have had to answer to disciplinary law as the employer.