SDP forces debate on Croatian school violence legislation

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has collected 30 signatures to force a debate in the Croatian Parliament next week regarding proposed amendments to the Law on Education. The legislation aims to address the rising issue of peer violence in primary and secondary schools.

The proposal would mandate that school principals, in cooperation with professional associates, issue a decision to temporarily remove a student perpetrator for up to 15 days within 12 hours of learning about a serious act of violence. The school would be required to ensure the removed student continues their education, notify parents of both parties, inform the social work institute and the police, and maintain an official record of the incident.

SDP representative Sabina Glasovac noted that peer violence in Croatia has been increasing for three consecutive years, with a 13.5 percent rise this year. She highlighted that more than half of the perpetrators are children under the age of 14 and argued that current school staff lack the necessary tools to manage these situations effectively.