Top politicians of the AfD cause with polemical utterances again and again for indignation, for example, if they refer to the National Socialism as "bird's shit". At the same time, the party is politically very successful: it sits in the Bundestag and in almost all state parliaments. Teachers who want to and should inform their students about daily events and social developments therefore can not avoid the topic AfD.
In part, the party is watching very closely what educators are doing in the classroom - and how they are doing it. And she struggles when she feels offended. In Hamburg, she has set up an online platform where students, parents and teachers should report "political indoctrination" against the AFD. Violations of the neutrality requirement will be transmitted to the school board.
As the Funke media group reports, the party also plans similar portals in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony and some other states.
In addition, several cases have become known in which AfD politicians have filed service supervision complaints against teachers. In Bremen, for example, a pedagogue had addressed the press release of a member of the German parliamentary party for the AfD and "blamed the pupils for his political agenda", according to the party.
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The latter would indeed be unlawful. Teachers can also appeal to freedom of expression. However, they are prohibited from influencing students in their own party-political way. They are committed to neutrality and moderation in and out of class.
But where does the border go? And what can teachers do if they feel denigrated by AfD politicians? Answers to the most important questions:
How much criticism is allowed in the classroom?
For teachers applies nationwide a neutrality requirement, the so-called Beutelsbacher consensus. There it says: "It is not allowed to surprise the student in the sense of desired opinions and thus to prevent the 'acquisition of an independent judgment." Teachers have to discuss and accept different opinions.
At the same time, they are obliged to stand up for the free-democratic basic order. They also have the mission to educate children in the spirit of human dignity, democracy, tolerance and equality. It is therefore also their task to draw attention to the fact that fundamental values are disregarded in party political texts.
How do you do that without making yourself vulnerable?
Best businesslike and respectful. "Teachers do not have to hide their political convictions, but they must not impose on students," says educational and administrative lawyer Jörg Ennuschat of the Ruhr University Bochum. If a student finds the AfD good, he must be allowed to express his opinion on an equal footing.
What can teachers do when the AFD submits a complaint to the school board?
Nothing. Sleepless nights do not have to give them that either. Everyone is allowed to submit a service supervision complaint. The official concerned has the right to comment on the complaint. Only if he had really violated his duties could his superiors take action against him.
The authority could admonish him informally, without adverse consequences. Or she could take disciplinary action, such as giving a reprimand, which may be accompanied by a note in the teacher's file. In the extreme case, the educator may lose his official status. However, the hurdles for such a step are extremely high. "Most service supervision complaints are unfounded and run in the sand," says Ennuschat.
Is it allowed to blacken teachers on an internet platform?
Here it must be weighed between the freedom of expression and the personality rights of the teacher. If he is insulted on the Internet, he can try to act against civil law against the operator of the platform. To evaluate the teacher is, however, in principle permissible. The Federal Supreme Court ruled in 2009, when a teacher resisted an anonymous grading of her person on the portal spickmich.de.
However, this portal was only accessible to registered users. "If the AfD would put educators on the net publicly and thus exclude socially, that could be illegal," says Ennuschat. The social mood in Germany, however, was such that an entry on such a platform in many circles rather than "democratic accolade" would be perceived.
Editor's note: This is the updated version of an article that was first published on SPIEGEL ONLINE on June 12, 2018.