The impact of the article “What terrible things are happening at Primary School No. 5 on Dolne Młyny Street”

When the article “What terrible things are happening at Primary School No. 5 on Dolne Młyny Street?” was published on 24 November, all the mothers described in it were upset. They openly said they were afraid of the reaction of the school’s female and male teachers. The mother of two sons, who had been identified at school because of the incidents described, experienced the article most intensely.

The first change, on the day after the article was published, was the presence of the school principal on morning duty in the cloakroom. This is an area that is poorly supervised at the school. We know of a situation in which a teacher working with a class on the third floor, in the computer room, was assigned duty in the basement, where the cloakroom is located. As he himself admitted, when a fight broke out there between an aggressor and one of the female students, he was unable to reach his cloakroom duty in time. The teacher was, of course, listed in the duty log, but was not physically present for the duty.

Another change, which greatly surprised one of the mothers, was that her children suddenly began to be described as well-behaved and not causing problems. As we had predicted, no member of the teaching staff took revenge on the children or reproached the mothers.

There was, however, agitation among the teachers. A few days later, the same mother was told by one of the women working at the school that the teachers were outraged by the article and by what she had told the press. The mother did not engage in a discussion with the woman.

Another mother informed us that Primary School No. 5 in Bolesławiec also has good, empathetic and conscientious teachers. We agree and hope that this article will also encourage those teachers to draw their colleagues’ attention to abuses when they occur. This would be invaluable in improving the situation at every school.

On Thursday, 8 December, we received information from the mother of two sons—the same mother whose son was put into a rubbish bin by a school aggressor last year. The mother wrote:

Good morning, today I went to the deputy head of the education department, and she arranged for my sons to be transferred to another school. Both of them will start at the new school on 30 January. Great, it was only possible after your report, thank you. It is also good that Ms Basiak arranged the school; she is a good person too.

Previously, the mother had heard only from principal Edyta Górczak that she had to look for places for her children at other schools herself, calling and asking whether they would accept her sons.

We also have extensive explanations from the Education Department concerning the incident in which one mother’s son was put into a rubbish bin. The child was put into the bin several times, but the school insists—although the surveillance footage was deleted because the mother reported the matter more than seven days after the incident—that the boy was “made to sit on the bin”. The mother bases her information on what the child, students who witnessed the incidents and a cleaner who saved the child from the aggressor told her. We do not know where the school obtained its information, since the Education Department’s response states:

"The incident took place during the 2021/2022 school year. The parent reported it without specifying an exact date, indicating only a time frame covering the turn of May and June 2022, i.e. approximately two weeks after the situation occurred. Since surveillance data are stored on the drive for seven consecutive days and are overwritten by new recordings, the lack of an exact date makes securing the recording difficult, or even impossible. Nevertheless, the institution’s principal reviewed the surveillance footage and did not find recordings of the situation described by the parent".

The inspection conducted by the Education Authority in this matter consisted of an analysis of documents, and on paper everything at this school turned out to be in the best possible order:

• The educational and care-related activities of all teachers and specialists were consistent with their assigned duties.
• The documents collected and analysed during the inspection indicated that the principal had taken appropriate steps to clarify all the circumstances and the course of events that had taken place on school premises involving students
• Teacher supervision duties during breaks between lessons are secured at the institution, as evidenced by entries in the duty log.

The stories of these few courageous mothers no longer look as good as the documents at “Piątka” analysed by Education Authority specialists—and found to be beyond reproach. Out of concern for their children, these women described what their everyday contact with the school looked like and how their children felt there. They turned to the press out of helplessness and despair after fruitless contact with employees of Primary School No. 5.

These are stories that cannot be confined to an inspection document assessed by an official. Many questions remain unanswered. What about the mental state of the boy who, lacking adult support, wanted to take his own life? What about the class that dislikes its homeroom teacher so much that it does not want to give her a present on Teachers’ Day? What about the children whose parents “must” decide that their son or daughter will not go on a school trip because the homeroom teachers cannot cope with the child? What about the children who are terrified at the thought of going to school on Monday morning?

Response from the Education Department in Bolesławiec

During the same school year, several meetings were held with the student’s parent, including a meeting with the former Head of the Education Department, Beata Sulska, on 7 June 2022, which addressed many issues concerning the allegations made by the parent against the institution. As a consequence, an ad hoc inspection was conducted by the Education Authority in Wrocław at the parent’s request. The report from the ad hoc inspection conducted on 9 September 2022 by the Education Authority, which examined the provision of safe and hygienic conditions for students’ learning, upbringing and care, as well as the rules for providing and organising psychological and pedagogical assistance—including the school’s actions concerning placing the boy on a bin and damaging his glasses—indicates that the students concerned were properly provided with and organised psychological and pedagogical assistance. The educational and care-related activities of all teachers and specialists were consistent with their assigned duties. The documents collected and analysed during the inspection indicated that the principal had taken appropriate steps to clarify all the circumstances and the course of events that had taken place on school premises involving students. All troubling incidents were addressed on an ongoing basis. The welfare of students is the highest priority for the teachers and the school principal, and students receive the recommendations contained both in decisions and in opinions issued by psychological and pedagogical counselling centres. A contract was concluded between the younger son, his homeroom teacher and the boy’s mother in order to support the student; it was in force from 6 May to 15 June 2022. Teacher supervision duties during breaks between lessons are secured at the institution, as evidenced by entries in the duty log. An analysis of the entries indicates that teachers performed supervision duties during breaks in the period when the incident may have occurred. However, certain incidents took place after the bell, when both students and teachers are required to go to their classrooms. It is not possible to agree with the allegation that one of the sons of the complaining parent was not provided with a teacher supporting and co-organising his education. The school’s documentation shows that the teacher assigned to perform this task was absent from work on the days when the incident may have occurred, and another teacher was assigned in their place. It should be noted that a primary school is an organisation subject to constant change. More than 570 students attend the school, 22 of whom last year had an individual educational pathway organised in connection with special education decisions. These students required specialist classes and additional support from a supporting teacher co-organising the education of students with disabilities, in order to conduct teaching and care-and-education activities. The school responds to all needs arising from the decisions referred to above; nevertheless, incidents that no one can foresee may sometimes occur in such a large institution. Only prompt (immediate) information obtained from students and their parents makes it possible to take action appropriate to the incident. It is emphasised that in all educational institutions, the welfare of the student is the overriding value; therefore, every effort is made, both educationally and in terms of care and upbringing, to resolve the situations described above on an ongoing basis, in cooperation with students’ parents and with mutual respect.

What regulations govern the disclosure of surveillance footage to parents? Can every parent view surveillance recordings, in what situations may a school refuse to share recordings with parents, and who must be present when surveillance footage is played at a parent’s request?

A surveillance recording may be made available to authorised bodies within the scope of their legal activities, for example the Police, courts or the Prosecutor’s Office, upon their written request. A person interested in securing surveillance data for the purposes of future proceedings may submit a written request to the school principal asking for the data to be secured before it is deleted after the standard storage period, namely seven days from the occurrence of the incident. The person authorised to review surveillance recordings is the school principal.

During the 2021/2022 school year, one request to make surveillance footage available was submitted and approved. However, it did not concern the matters described in the article.

Are entire classes punished by not organising a school trip because there is a student in the class who causes problems for the homeroom teacher?

Such actions are not practised. The homeroom teacher’s task is to support every student, especially those experiencing difficulties and dysfunctions, recognise their needs and integrate the group, particularly in the period after the pandemic. From September 2021 to 24 November 2022, 53 trips took place. Students are happy to take part in this form of integration, and only individual students do not participate because of illness or unforeseen circumstances, of which the parent informs the homeroom teacher.

Are students who cause teachers problems excluded from school trips?Students are not excluded from participating in trips unless a parent makes that decision.