Politicians’ Intervention in Classrooms Illegal ? Epoch-making Decision on Nanao School for Handicapped Children

The Tokyo District Court ordered the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and three metropolitan assembly members, Tsuchiya Takayuki (Democratic Party), Tashiro Hiroshi (Liberal Democratic Party) and Koga Toshiaki (LDP), to pay 2.1 million yen in total to 31 ex-teachers at Nanao School for Handicapped Children in Tokyo who requested compensation to them. The chief justice Yao Wataru judged, “The act of the three metropolitan assembly members to have entered the premises of the school and denounced the teachers at the nurse’s office was an intervention in school education based on their political principles and creeds. Therefore, it is feared to inhibit and distort autonomy of school education and falls under ‘undue control’ over it”, and ordered the defendants to pay the plaintiffs 50,000 to 200,000 yen per person. It was a groundbraking decision to criticize the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education that tolerated the political intervention. (Written by Johnny H) *Photo: Cited from news report

政治家による教育現場への介入は違法～七生養護学校事件で画期的判決
　東京・七生養護学校の元教職員31人が、都教委と都議に対して慰謝料を請求した裁判で、東京地裁は3月12日、都と土屋敬之(民主)・田代博嗣(自民)・古賀俊昭(自民)の3都議に計210万円の支払いを命じる判決を言い渡した。矢尾渉裁判長は「3都議が視察と称して校内に立ち入り、保健室において教員らを批判し非難した行為は、政治家である3都議がその政治的な主義・信条に基づき、学校教育に介入・干渉するものであり、学校における教育の自主性を阻害しこれを歪める危険のある行為で『不当な支配』に当たる」とし、都と3都議に対して5～20万円の慰謝料を原告らに支払うことを命じた。政治介入を容認した都教委を批判する画期的判決だった。（ジョニーH） 　＊写真＝新聞報道より