Well....yes.
This situation got hyped up over a Islamic teenage girl in Hamburg (16 years old) who decided that she'd show up in a Burka or Niqab. The school said no....this wasn't going to be allowed. The girl turned to legal means to challenge this.
The school's threat? A 500 Euro fine for the mother, if she didn't resolve this and forbid the girl from this garment.
The Hamburg state court looked over the legality of this, and said 'no'....the school does not have the right to forbid this. Under this state law that would apply.....it does not have a specific standing that would give the school this right.
Presently, it appears that the girl has won, and the fine business is dissolved.
The end?
No....it has brought this to a discussion stage.
If you go look in Bavaria and Lower Saxony (two other German states)....they have some wording in the state law that allows the schools to maintain order by a dress code, and they've forbidden the burka action in schools.
ARD (Channel One, public TV) did a full article over this.
Approaching the level of a national topic? Not quiet yet, but I would imagine that several individuals will attempt challenges and by 2021....there might be a dozen test cases out there and the Constitutional Court might have to turn to the Bundestag and suggest that they need to write a law to nationally cover this.
The best solution? Years ago, when my German son was attending a public school in the Pfalz region....they came out with a survey and asked if a majority of parents would support a school uniform. I asked my German wife if this really was necessary and I'll admit....I was fairly skeptical of the school uniform business.
In New Zealand, it's generally mandated about a school uniform.
Maybe it's time that Germany examine the idea, and force everyone down this path....importing cheap Chinese-made uniforms into Germany, and have every kid dressed in similar attire.
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We have school uniforms in Australia, and I think it's actually for the best. There's less fashion taunting that can occur, it removes some of the status games, and it also means the kids are representing their school when not on school grounds.
That tends to improve the behaviour when they're on excursions or going to and from school.
Then you can have a mufti day once a month for a gold coin donation (ok, that term doesn't apply here - but for 1 or 2 euros) and that money goes to the school for the extra curricular things.
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