Steiermark reports six violations of under-14 headscarf ban

ORF reported that six violations of Austria’s headscarf ban for girls under 14 have been reported in Styria since the start of the school year. The expected surge in cases has not occurred.

Ulrike Moser of the regional education directorate said the reports involved individual cases. Schools first held discussions with parents, and only cases that could not be resolved at school level were referred to the directorate.

In Styria, six discussions were held during the first week. Vienna recorded 55 cases in the first two weeks, while numbers were also low in the other provinces.

Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr described the figures as a success. He said schools, parents and students had been informed early about the new legal provisions, and that teachers and school leaders had been prepared for how to proceed without unnecessarily damaging their relationships with students.

Moser said the discussions held by the Styrian education directorate had so far always reached a consensus. The talks are conducted by Muslim staff members, mainly social workers, together with a teacher with extensive counselling expertise. They come from the community, speak several languages and are assigned to the school psychology service.

If no agreement is reached, parents face fines of between 150 and 800 euros.