The Ethics Council of the Ministry of Education and Research is calling on educational institutions to immediately report assaults against teachers to the police and provide those affected with psychological and legal support. According to the ministry, some institutions are slow to respond to such incidents and, in certain cases, even put pressure on teachers who report violence, IPN reports.
The Ministry stresses that any act of physical violence, threat or verbal abuse directed at a teacher in connection with their professional duties must be recorded. School management is required to notify the police immediately, as well as the relevant supervisory authority and the Ministry of Education and Research (MEC). Reporting the incident within the school does not replace the obligation to report it to law enforcement authorities.
The Council also recommends temporarily barring anyone accused of assault from entering the school. Teachers who report such incidents must not be subjected to pressure or penalties. School administrators may neither reduce their teaching hours nor give them negative performance reviews on these grounds. Administrators who fail to notify the police or penalize teachers who are victims of assault risk disciplinary action.
Under the Code of Administrative Offences, insulting a teacher is punishable by a fine of between 500 and 1,000 lei. If the offence also involves bodily harm, the penalty is a fine of between 2,000 and 4,000 lei or administrative detention for up to 15 days.
