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Erfurt / Schleiz (dpa / th) - The handling of the Saale-Orla district with a letter from Education Minister Helmut Holter (left) to the parents of school children causes displeasure in the ministry.

The trigger is an email that Christian Herrgott, member of the CDU state parliament, sent to the headmasters in his capacity as a volunteer alderman in the southeast Thuringian region.

In it, Lord God asks not to forward Holter's letter to the parents - “to avoid unnecessary confusion”.

The minister sees this as a political encroachment on the school system.

The background to this is the resumption of face-to-face teaching in the Saale-Orla district after the Easter holidays, which is planned later than in other parts of Thuringia.

This can be expected there on April 19 at the earliest - depending on the corona infection situation and whether sufficient rapid tests are available in the schools.

In Holter's letter to parents, the minister informs that free rapid tests will be available from April 12th, i.e. with the start of classes after the Easter break.

In Herrgott's mail, which the dpa has received, it says: “On behalf of District Administrator Thomas Fügmann, I ask you not to forward this letter to your parents and school-age adults in order to avoid unnecessary confusion.

According to the regulations made in the Saale-Orla district, there will be a separate parents' letter in due course.

School principals in the district should be informed of the district administration's opening strategy on Tuesday.

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Holter sees in the mail that the MP has exceeded his or her authority.

"Herr Herrgott has no mandate and no responsibility to address school administrators in this way and to undermine the clear division of tasks in the school system," he said.

"Even in times of the pandemic, regulating school operations is the task of the Thuringian Ministry of Education and its subordinate authorities."

It was not an instruction, said Herrgott, who is also CDU General Secretary in Thuringia, on Friday on request.

He spoke of a request.

"The district cannot instruct the schools."

However, it makes little sense to send a letter mentioning April 12 if this date does not apply on site.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210409-99-140213 / 2

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