Schools - Racism accusations against teacher from Halle
Due to Racism accusations, a teacher from Halle will begin teaching at another school from the new school year. The regional education office became aware of the case through a video on social media, according to a spokesperson who spoke on request. In addition, a report was filed at the school and with the police in June regarding defamation. Previously, the "Mitteldeutsche Zeitung" had reported on the matter.
An influencer published a video, among other places on the platform Instagram, claiming that a teacher at her brother's school had made racist comments towards black people multiple times.
The beginning of summer holidays has made the processing of the case difficult, the education office stated. Most of the people to be spoken to were not available. "Initial talks could be held before the holidays began, but they produced an ambiguous picture. The accusations were sometimes presented differently or contradicted," the spokesperson explained.
Teacher initially assigned to another school
The prosecutor's office in Halle confirmed that they are investigating the teacher in Saalestadt. The current focus of the investigation is reportedly a review of the criminal classification.
The spokesperson for the education office confirmed that an investigation is ongoing against the teacher in question. "The case has not been conclusively resolved yet," he said. However, it was decided that the teacher would begin teaching at another school from August 5. This school would not be in Halle. The woman would teach there regularly, the spokesperson added.
The decision was made to allow the investigation to "continue in a factual manner," he said. "A potential interference between the parties involved after the summer holidays should be avoided." The teacher's assignment to another school was temporary and could be terminated at any time if the reasons no longer applied, the spokesperson emphasized.
Final decision pending
The focus of the investigation by the education office is now on the teacher's pedagogical work in the past years. So far, no valid reason has been found to prevent the teacher from continuing to teach, suspend, or dismiss her. Once the final result of the investigation is available, the education office intends to make a final decision, the spokesperson said.
The teacher's new school is located outside of Halle, as confirmed by the education office spokesperson. The police in Halle are also involved in the investigation, having received a report of defamation in June. The accusations of racism against the teacher have gained attention, with a report published in the Middle German Newspaper and an influencer sharing a video about the incident on Instagram. The public prosecutor's office in Halle is currently reviewing the criminal classification of the case. Despite the ongoing investigation, the teacher is scheduled to begin teaching at the new school from August 5.
