Is there no school on Mardi Gras?
For many people in Germany, the carnival days are one of the highlights of the year. Maybe you feel the same way - or at least your children. Dressing up, partying, taking part in parades - that's a lot of fun, especially for children and young people. But what about the carefree carnival fun for everyone who still goes to school: Do the crazy days belong to the time off school? This question is not that easy to answer. There is no uniform regulation in this regard.
Days off at German schools
- There is in Germany Different types of school-free days: the school holidays, public holidays and the so-called movable school-free days that are available to every school.
- The Ministry of Culture decides on the school holidays, the dates of which vary from state to state.
- Would you like a school or To define a school district outside of the school holidays or public holidays, there are various options: The flexible holidays can be used. These are usually 3 or 4 days, which are also often used as bridging days if they are between a public holiday and a day off anyway, e.g. B. a weekend, lie.
- In order to free the students from regular lessons, the schools can also hold a project day. The disadvantage is that the teachers continue to have supervision and responsibility for their students - so project days are less suitable for carnival events.
- An hourly exemption from lessons is also possible. For this purpose, the parents must submit an application, the class teacher must approve this application.
A Saturday off school is for German schools, vocational schools and universities ...
Carnival days are not public holidays
- The carnival days, which usually fall in February or March, are not public holidays in Germany. Even Rose Monday also applies worldwide as a public holiday in very few areas.
- In areas where Mardi Gras or Carnival have a particularly long tradition, there are so-called traditional days. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, schools are supposed to put one of their flexible vacation days as a traditional day in the carnival season.
- The students who have school holidays during Carnival week are also lucky. In some federal states it happens that the winter holidays or spring holidays fall during the carnival season. In Baden-Württemberg z. B. these holidays are referred to as carnival holidays, as they usually begin on Rose Monday.
- In carnival strongholds, the students usually have no school lessons on the most important days of the carnival week. However, this does not apply to all Mardi Gras days and not every school handles it in the same way.
- Whether or not a school holds classes on certain Carnival days depends on several factors.
- Instead of giving their students the opportunity to attend celebrations, a school may organize carnival itself.
- If a school is located near the center of a city where carnival parades take place, it is often difficult to continue school lessons in the usual way. Instead, the students get a day off and can take part in the crazy hustle and bustle.
- In some schools there are always problems with alcoholic students during the carnival season. Either the pupils in their own school show up for class drunk in the morning, or pupils from other schools who are off on that day disrupt school operations. Some schools therefore prefer to leave the responsibility to the parents on these days - and the students get school free.
If you definitely want to know whether there is a possibility for you or your children to get out of school on Mardi Gras, you should contact your school or school. check with your class teacher. If the school continues to be regular during Carnival time classes As a last resort, you might consider filing an hourly leave application with your class teacher.
Tip: You can find an overview of the mandatory vacation dates in the German federal states at School holidays.
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