Fri, 20 Oct 2006

German Waldorf School Association considers legal action against Kempten “Waldorf” school abusing pupils

BERLIN/KEMPTEN (NNA) – The German Waldorf School Association is examining whether it can stop the Free Waldorf School in Kempten from using the legally protected Waldorf name, the education policy spokesman for the Waldorf schools in Berlin-Brandenburg, Detlef Hardorp, has said.

Several teachers at the school in the Bavarian city were found guilty of abusing their pupils and were sentenced to fines and community service.

Hardorp said that the Association of Waldorf Schools in Berlin-Brandenburg was keen to emphasise that the Kempten school had not had any connection with other Waldorf schools in Germany for the past 20 years.

It had been excluded from the German Association of Waldorf Schools in 1986 because of a lack of compatibility with the accepted structures at Waldorf schools. These latest events showed that this had been the right decision, the education policy spokesman emphasised.

In the legal action taken by the Waldorf School Association at the time, there had been a settlement in which the organisation had decided not to take action against the Kempten school for using the Waldorf name. However, there had been no indication that teachers were engaging in criminal acts.

According to reports in the Mittelbayrische Zeitung newspaper, in the most recent case a teacher had been fined 7,800 euros (£5,200, US$9,800) for banging pupils’ heads together. The Bavarian court further considered it proven that he had pulled pupils’ ears so hard that they started to bleed. The defence did not dispute the charges.

In previous cases, a teacher had been fined 3,500 euros (£2,400, US$4,400) and another case of assault did not come to trial because the accused accepted his guilt. He had to pay a fine of 1,500 euros (£1,000, US$1,900) to two charitable organisations. The teacher admitted using corporal punishment on at least one child and had apologised for his actions.

Another five teachers will appear in court in the next few weeks. It is alleged that they pulled pupils’ ears, slapped them and slammed their heads against the blackboard.

No further action was taken by the court against another six teachers because the incidents had been time-barred or there was insufficient evidence.

End/NNA/ung/cva

Item: 061020-01EN Date: 20 October 2006

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