The Abiball is a solid ritual for many students to celebrate the end of school - but what if the family Hartz IV refers and can not afford a participation? Two students failed before the Dusseldorf Social Court with a lawsuit against the job center. They had demanded that this paid their costs for the discount.
It may be desirable to attend such a private school graduation ceremony, the court acknowledged in its ruling. It was not a school event.
The two sisters wanted the job center to cover the costs of the discount: 100 euros for the local rent, 27 euros for the ball tickets, 50 euros each for new clothes and 40 euros for new shoes. It is an irrefutable need, argued the high school graduates.
However, the job center did not want to pay: the demand claimed was to be covered by the standard benefit. The Social Court confirmed the decision of the Job Center: Participation in the event was not obligatory for the sisters. In the context of livelihood security, there is no claim to be able to participate in all social events to the desired extent.
In addition, the date of the event had long been established in advance, the court highlighted. The applicants could thus have saved the money for their participation or could earn a job. The verdict dates from 22 October 2018 and was announced on Thursday. It is not yet final. File number: S 43 AS 2221/18