Can Parents Enter Kindergartens Freely in Bolesławiec? Bolesławiec City Hall Explains the Rules

BRAVO Alert and Parents’ Entry to Kindergartens

The editorial office of istotne.pl was contacted by a reader, the mother of a child attending one of the kindergartens in Bolesławiec. According to her account, after the second BRAVO alert level was introduced, parents’ ability to contact teachers and group supervisors directly when bringing in and collecting their children was restricted.

The reader pointed out that this makes it more difficult to pass on current information about the child’s well-being and progress. At the same time, she stressed that she understood the need to ensure the safety of the children and facility employees. The doubts mainly concerned the scope of the restrictions and their legal basis.

The editorial office asked Bolesławiec City Hall about the interpretation of the term “unauthorized person,” the rules for parents entering the facilities, and any measures being taken by the city.

City Hall: Parents Are Not Unauthorized Persons

In a response provided to the editorial office, the spokesperson for Bolesławiec City Hall, Agnieszka Gergont explained that parents and legal guardians are not classified as unauthorized persons under the definition adopted by the city:

Bolesławiec City Hall defines an unauthorized person as someone other than employees, pupils and their legal guardians. According to the city authorities’ official position, the entry ban under the BRAVO alert level does not apply to parents or legal guardians.

Parents may enter the facilities to handle necessary matters, provided they follow the established inspection and verification procedures.

In this context, the city referred to regulations concerning alert levels, the Anti-Terrorist Activities Act, the Family and Guardianship Code, and the Education Law.

Who Sets the Rules for Entering the Facilities?

Not all kindergartens and schools have to organize contact with parents in the same way. As Bolesławiec City Hall explains, the detailed rules for entry and contact with teachers and group supervisors are set by the directors of the individual facilities.

– The detailed rules for organizing entry and forms of contact with teaching staff are set by the directors of individual educational facilities, acting within their statutory managerial powers and responsibility for safe learning and care conditions (Article 68 of the Education Law) – the spokesperson said in her response.

The office also emphasizes that the city mayor, as the body responsible for running the facilities, has issued general guidelines and recommendations concerning increased vigilance, identity verification and coordination of protective measures.

The directors are implementing procedures that also take into account the recommendations of the Lower Silesian Education Superintendent. These include, among other things, access control, locking technical doors, and verifying people entering through service staff or the administrative office.

The city also points to electronic class registers, through which parents can remain in regular contact with the facilities.

One Report from a Parent

We also asked whether Bolesławiec City Hall had received complaints or reports concerning restrictions on access to schools and kindergartens in connection with the BRAVO alert level.

– Bolesławiec City Hall received one telephone report from a parent concerned about the restriction of access to an educational facility – Agnieszka Gergont informed us.

In response to the report and because of the need to strengthen pupil safety, the city authorities and directors launched intensified measures in cooperation with the Municipal Guard and in consultation with the County Police Headquarters. These measures are to include more frequent patrols in the areas around schools and kindergartens.

The directors are also to remind parents that the procedures in use, including arranging meetings in advance by telephone or electronically, serve to protect children rather than make contact with their guardians more difficult.

Will the City Introduce Uniform Rules?

The editorial office also asked whether Bolesławiec City Hall intended to prepare uniform recommendations for the directors of municipal facilities that would reconcile safety requirements with parents’ need for ongoing contact with teachers.

The response indicates that the city does not plan to create a separate local document. Instead, it intends to rely on procedures already implemented and coordinate their application in cooperation with the education superintendent and uniformed services.

– These recommendations emphasize maintaining the necessary balance: on the one hand, they require an effective barrier against unauthorized persons; on the other, they oblige directors to ensure accessible communication (through electronic class-register systems and administrative offices, including by telephone) and to provide pupils with emotional support in the face of tightened security rules – the spokesperson said.

The BRAVO alert level itself—as follows from the Bolesławiec authorities’ response—does not mean an automatic ban on parents entering municipal schools and kindergartens. However, the specific rules for entry, checks and contact with teaching staff depend on the procedures in force at each facility.