Minister of Education Przemysław Czarnek referred on Polish Radio to the draft project of the amendment to the Polish education law. The new laws are intended to increase the role of the state school superintendent.
The amendment mainly concerns lessons being taught by associations and organizations at schools. According to the project, a school’s headmaster will be obliged to receive a positive opinion from the superintendent prior to the initiation of lessons by non-government organizations or associations.
After receiving such an opinion, the headmaster will have to present full information about the aims and content of the lessons to a student’s parents. They will also have to present the superintendent’s positive opinion, the positive opinion of the school and parents’ council, and materials which will be used during the lessons.
Przemysław Czarnek, Polish education minister:
The government wants state institutions, such as the school superintendent, to guard normality in schools and prevent the demoralization of children through some kind of expanded sexual education.
Moreover, the amendment entails that a student’s participation in such lessons will require the written permission of the student’s parents.
Minister Czarnek emphasized that despite the increase of the superintendent’s competencies, parents will have the decisive vote in the matter, and the goal of the amendment is to strengthen the voice of parents.
“The superintendent is to receive enough time prior to an organization’s entry to a school, as well as the lessons’ content, to oppose demoralization and indoctrination. Such things have been occurring in large cities like Warsaw and Poznań,” he explained.
He added that the superintendent will be able to oppose the decision of parents when it comes to organizations that would like to promote sexual education.
“Keep leftist, demoralizing and indoctrinating ideologies away from our children,” Czarnek declared.
The minister also commented on the Hungarian law which banned promoting homosexuality and transgenderism in schools, as well as the creation of a pedophile record. The law entailed that sexual education lessons in schools will not be allowed to promote gender change and homosexuality. Such lessons will only be conducted by teachers and organizations written into a special registry.
Minister Czarnek noted that while Poland is currently not passing a similar law, the government wants state institutions, such as the school superintendent, to “guard normality in schools and prevent the demoralization of children through some kind of expanded sexual education.”
He admitted, however, that he was a huge supporter of the Hungarian bill and would sign such a law in Poland “with both hands” if it were to be passed by Polish parliament.
