Schoolchildren in Storm-Hit Areas Excused from School

Schoolchildren in Storm-Hit Areas Excused from School

The Danube Canal in Vienna. Photo: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER

 

Schoolchildren in areas affected by severe weather and heavy rainfall will be automatically excused from attending school on Monday, the Ministry of Education has announced.

This also applies to pupils who are unable to attend due to road closures or because their route to school is considered too dangerous following storm damage.

Austria, along with much of Central Europe, has been battered by torrential rain in recent days, leading to widespread flooding, road closures, and the suspension of train services. In Lower Austria, a firefighter lost his life while pumping water from a flooded cellar, and the entire province has been declared a disaster zone.

Should entire schools need to be closed, parents, pupils, and teaching staff will be notified directly by the school authority.

Civil service volunteers may also be excused if they are required for essential relief efforts. “Please get in touch with your organisations if you are part of the voluntary fire brigade and urgently needed, so that institutions can adjust their planning accordingly,” urged Civil Service State Secretary Claudia Plakolm.

Kindergarten operations in Vienna and Lower Austria, both of which have been particularly hard hit by the storms, will follow similar guidelines. “Children in their compulsory kindergarten year will be excused upon notification of the kindergarten management. Where the current situation allows, childcare services should remain operational. If the situation changes, parents will be informed immediately,” said Lower Austria’s Minister of Education, Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister.

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