Czech Motoristé want schools to be able to refuse disabled children

At a coalition council meeting on Monday, the Motoristé party proposed allowing school principals to refuse admission to children with support levels 4 and 5, that is, those with the most serious educational needs. The coalition spent more than an hour discussing a revision of inclusive education but failed to reach agreement.

At present, all children are entitled to a place at their local school. Some of them need special help because of illness, disability, a different native language or various disorders. For such children, school counselling centres recommend support measures, which are divided into five levels; the fifth is the highest. The level and the measures themselves depend on the child’s needs: for example, a child with limited mobility may receive a teaching assistant and adapted PE lessons, while a child with autism may get an individual education plan. However, children with the same diagnosis do not always receive the same level of support or the same measures.

According to the document obtained by the ČTK news agency, a principal would be able to refuse if, after an individual assessment, they conclude that the school is unable to provide education even with available and reasonable adjustments. The decision must be justified in writing, and a recommendation of level 4 or 5 measures alone would not be enough for a refusal.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) supports the Motoristé idea. Experts, however, consider it absurd: in their view, it endangers vulnerable children and their families and contradicts human rights.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz