Flooding has made it impossible to learn in southern Poland. The Ministry of National Education reports that classes have been suspended in over 530 schools, kindergartens and other educational institutions in the Lower Silesia, Opole, Lubuskie and Silesian provinces. There may be thousands of children across the country who have not gone to classes.
Schools closed due to flooding. There is help for parents
– In the Opole province, these are floods, inundations, similarly to Lower Silesia. In many of these places, schools are closed for another reason – for example, organizing a place of shelter in a school or educational institution, evacuation for people from those areas, which excludes the possibility of conducting classes – said the director of the Ministry of National Education Communication Office, Kacper Lawera. Some schools are closed because they cannot be reached by car.
Parents of students whose schools are closed can apply for financial support. The closure of the facility must be unforeseen and the parent must learn about it less than 7 days before the closure – reminds the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS). For most schools closed due to flooding, this criterion is met.
Care allowance for parents from cities affected by flooding
Care allowance is available if there are no other family members who can provide care for the child. However, this condition does not apply to care for a sick child under the age of 2. In such a case, the allowance is available even if another family member can provide care for the child. Importantly, the allowance can only be collected by parents of children up to the age of 8.
The maximum amount of the care allowance is 60 days in a calendar year. It can be applied for by parents or guardians employed under an employment contract, working under contracts for services or running their own business. All you need to do is submit a Z-15A application and a statement that the nursery, children's club, kindergarten or school attended by the child has been closed unexpectedly. The amount of the care allowance is 80% of the salary.