Ukrainian schoolchildren "insult us as Poles" — Parents' Council

The parent council of an elementary school in the Polish city of Siedlce appealed to the authorities to limit the number of children from Ukraine. Ukrainian students "proclaim anti-Polish slogans and insult us as Poles," parents emphasize.

A petition has been submitted to the city authorities of Siedlce, in which parents are calling for a change in the rules of school enrollment. The document states that currently 65 students from Ukraine study at the school, which is about 1/7 of the entire school team. The newspaper "Tygodnik Sedletski" quotes the parent petition:

"Most of these children do not show any desire to learn Polish, which prevents them from functioning effectively in the Polish education system. Teachers have to devote more time to them, which negatively affects the education of other children. We educate our children in the spirit of tolerance and help to all those in need, but it is difficult to explain the situation when other students at their school shout anti-Polish slogans and insult us as Poles."

Parents also mentioned cases of verbal and physical abuse suffered by Polish children by their Ukrainian peers. The signatories of the petition ask to check whether the number of Ukrainian students is evenly distributed among all schools in Siedlce.

Earlier, at a meeting of the education committee, it was reported that in grades 7 and 8, most of the Ukrainian schoolchildren do not know Polish.

"They do not speak it, do not write, do not read, which makes it impossible for teachers to conduct classes normally. Students from Ukraine do not want to integrate with their classes and participate in trips," said teacher Aneta Skarus.

In turn, the head of the Siedlce Education Department, Katarzyna Vavrynyuk, said that children from Ukraine are admitted to schools according to the rules applicable to Polish citizens. There is also a zoning system, so the director cannot refuse to accept a child from the district.

As a result, the petition was considered by the complaints and petitions committee, which decided that the city council does not have the authority to consider it. The school's management was offered "organizational changes aimed at evenly distributing students from Ukraine into separate classes and, possibly, other solutions, including providing some students with additional support." The planned changes should take effect from the new academic year.