USR proposes harsher penalties for parents who threaten or assault teachers

Parents who threaten or assault teaching staff could face harsher penalties, according to a bill submitted by USR to Parliament. The initiative provides for a one-quarter increase in the penalties set out in the Criminal Code for these offences and seeks to protect teachers amid several violent incidents.

The bill amends Pre-University Education Law No. 198/2023. The increased penalties would apply regardless of where the assault takes place, including outside school or after the end of the school day. The measure is proposed based on the model of the additional protection granted to medical staff in August.

The initiators argue that parents’ grievances can be expressed and challenged through dialogue and legal means, but do not justify threats or violence. USR MP Corina Atanasiu said that school must be a safe space for both students and teachers.

The proposal follows several recent cases. At Secondary School No. 15 in Timișoara, the parents of a student allegedly assaulted a teacher after he reprimanded the child during class. The confrontation took place in the schoolyard during a break, in front of the students. Another case was reported in Dâmbovița, where a primary school teacher was hit after returning from a field trip. The bill is due to be examined and debated in Parliament.