Several schools in Linköping, including three preschools and two elementary schools, will be closed after the spring semester due to a declining population forecast and too many school premises. The municipality’s children and youth committee made the decision, and parents have ten days to request a new place for their children for the upcoming academic year. Another eight preschools and one primary school will close next year, resulting in 14 closures in total. Despite protests, an administrative court has denied an indefinite stop to the plans, and 49 appeals have been submitted, but only those from legal adults will be considered. The court will later determine if the school closure decision was made correctly.
Three preschools and two elementary schools in Linköping will be closed after the spring semester, the municipality’s children and youth committee recently decided. Within ten days, the children’s parents must have requested a place at another pre-school or primary school for the autumn.
A further eight preschools and one primary school will be closed next year, according to the politicians’ decision. The justification for the total of 14 closures is a declining population forecast and too many school premises.
The decision immediately sparked protests and by Friday 49 people had appealed and requested that the plans be frozen pending a final decision (inhibition). One of the arguments is that the politicians did not sufficiently consider the best interests of the children.
But the administrative court in Linköping says no to an indefinite stop. The fact that a number of families have to make a choice of school in a short time is not a sufficient reason, according to the court which also states that the closure of the schools “is not immediately imminent”.
Two of the 49 appeals are rejected because they are signed by children. In order to appeal municipal decisions, you must be of legal age.
The administrative court will later decide whether the decision to close the school was taken in the right way.