Johanna Mikl-Leitner:

Tough punishment for parents who do not conform

Governor of Lower Austria Johanna Mikl-Leitner

(Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth)

Violent assaults in outdoor swimming pools, at public festivals or at schools: Lower Austria's governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) is now going on the offensive. She is calling for tougher penalties in schools against parents who are unwilling to integrate. This is also a lever for reducing assaults. And she sees this as a "mandatory task" for the next federal government.

Mikl-Leitner sees this as a "mandatory task" for the next federal government. The number of crimes in schools has risen. Still relatively moderate in Lower Austria compared to other federal states - nevertheless: from 2021 to 2023, an increase of over 60 percent was recorded - to 881 offenses.

Mikl-Leitner: "The crimes are just the tip of the iceberg. A large part of the problem is parents who don't teach their children that the law of the jungle doesn't apply in our culture, that girls and women are worth the same as men or that German is spoken here."

Up to 2500 euro fine
The state governor also has specific measures ready: mandatory teacher-parent meetings in the event of gross misconduct, bullying or violence, as well as a lack of willingness to integrate; refusal to talk to female teachers, for example, will not be tolerated; significant increase in penalties for sustained violations or neglect of parental cooperation. The range of penalties is to be increased from the current maximum of 440 to a maximum of 2500 euros.