Discrimination is the unequal, unfair, inferior treatment of people because of a characteristic related to their membership of a particular group, e.g. discrimination based on gender, colour, ethnic origin, religion, degree of physical ability or economic status.
The result of discriminatory behaviour is to restrict or prevent people from exercising their rights.
What can you do?
PLEASE NOTE: the following response path applies only to institutions within the City of Warsaw.
If your child is experiencing discrimination in the school environment, you can use the following intervention pathway:
- ask the class teacher for a meeting. It is also a good idea to ask the school counsellor for support,
- If talking to the class teacher or counsellor does not work, ask the school office to meet with the head teacher,
If the above-mentioned steps do not work, contact the Department of Education in the district, where there are coordinators dedicated to foreign students and parents: https://edukacja.um.warszawa.pl/-/koordynatorzy-dzielnicowi-do-spraw-uczniow-cudzoziemskich
- If there is no reaction from the district, call the 24-hour municipal helpline 19115 and report a complaint, which will be registered in the system and redirected to the relevant municipal unit (e.g. Education Office of the City of Warsaw),
- in addition, if the matter relates directly to a violation of students‘ rights, you can contact the Warsaw Students’ Rights Ombudsman (Rzecznik Praw Uczniowskich), who is on duty at the Warsaw Centre for Educational and Social Innovation and Training (WCIES), 4 Stara Street (entrance C), on Thursdays between 4 and 6 p.m. (the time of the meeting should be arranged individually).
Follow this link for contact details and more information about the Ombudsman’s activities: https://edukacja.um.warszawa.pl/warszawski-rzecznik-praw-uczniowskich
