The state parents' council has warned that the question of a corona vaccination of children and adolescents is a burden on everyday school life.

"A vaccination decision must still be made personally, and the school should not exert any pressure," said chairman Volkmar Heitmann on Tuesday in Frankfurt.

Conflicts around the topic do not belong in the school, the individual vaccination status should not have any influence on everyday school life.

In addition, vaccination is "not a school event".

Florentine Fritzen

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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As the parents' representative further said at an event organized by the State Parents' Council, the Hessen Education and Science Union (GEW) and the representatives of the Hessian schoolchildren, according to a statement, the parents' representatives advocate low-threshold offers, such as vaccination busses at schools outside of school hours.

In August, the Standing Vaccination Commission recommended vaccination from the age of twelve.

Students miss "Plan B"

The state school spokeswoman Jessica Pilz complained about the start of school in face-to-face classes that there was a lack of good concepts for alternating classes. "Once again, there does not seem to be a 'Plan B' in the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs." Before the holidays, it was said that from an incidence of 100 onwards there should be alternating classes. Student and parent representatives as well as the union are now criticizing a "move away from a step-by-step plan depending on the infection rate". They refer to the lack of air filter systems and to unvaccinated students. The state school spokeswoman also asked for FFP2 masks to be provided in the schools.

The chairman of the GEW Hessen, Birgit Koch, called for more staff in the schools, also so that “a real double occupation in the classes” would be possible. This is necessary in order to catch up on learning backlogs from the Corona period, to support children individually and to enable social learning. There is a shortage of teachers especially at elementary, vocational and special schools. Koch asked the country to put more effort into training. In addition, a four-digit number of fully trained teachers is waiting to be hired.