Austrian teacher faces disciplinary action over social media post

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - Disciplinary action is being considered against a teacher in Austria’s Wiener Neustadt-Land District following a post on social media.

According to a report Wednesday in the Austrian daily Heute, the teacher posted pictures of the German essay of a student with a migrant background on Instagram and made fun of the numerous mistakes it contained.

According to the report, the woman also added a Turkish caption to the post which translates as "I wish this was all just a joke."

The child's mother told the newspaper that the child has been suffering the consequences of the public exposure ever since. According to the mother, her son refuses to go to school.

The teacher has been placed on sick leave since the incident, the Lower Austria Education Directorate confirmed to Heute.

"Disciplinary measures are currently being examined in detail in this matter," the directorate said in a statement.

"In any case, the teacher will no longer teach the child. This was also discussed by the school with the legal guardians immediately after the incident," it added.

The newspaper said the principal of the school wrote to the parents and apologized for the teacher's misconduct.

The letter from the principal said the teacher "deeply regrets" the incident and apologizes "formally to all those affected," According to her own statements, she had wanted to draw attention to the importance of reading books.

The school management will ensure that "such an incident does not happen again," the letter added.