Lower Austria files first report under headscarf ban

Lower Austria has recorded its first report over a breach of the headscarf ban, ORF reports. The parents of a 13-year-old student in the Neunkirchen district were reported to the district authority after the girl allegedly continued wearing a headscarf at school despite repeated warnings.

The school first held a meeting with the student. The school administration later met with her in the presence of her parents, followed by another meeting at the responsible office of Lower Austria’s education directorate, also attended by the parents.

When the student continued to attend lessons wearing a headscarf, the parents were reported. They could now face fines of between 150 and 800 euros.

The controversial law, passed by the Austrian People’s Party, Social Democratic Party and NEOS, bans girls under 14 from wearing headscarves on school grounds. It applies to both public and private schools.