The mother of twelve-year-old Sophie from Wiener Neustadt approached the Ombudsman’s Office in the spring of 2026 seeking help. Following a COVID infection, the girl became seriously ill and has been bedridden ever since. Due to a certified inability to travel and an exemption from screen time, the girl has been taught from home by a home tutor for the past four years. She has always been able to sit her assessments at home in the presence of a teacher from the school. Despite her willingness to learn and her full cognitive abilities, her progression to the next school year is being made unnecessarily difficult in a discriminatory manner.
Despite approved home schooling and being bedridden – Sophie is expected to sit exams at school
For Ombudsperson Luisser, it is clear that children in need of support who are keen to learn must be helped. Instead of fostering hope for the future and confidence, an ambitious child and her family are being left in limbo. Although her inability to travel has been medically certified, Sophie would suddenly have had to physically attend school for tests and schoolwork after four years of home schooling without any problems. For a child suffering from a serious illness, this represents an untenable situation.
“The sudden change of heart on the part of the school management – to suddenly impose drastic measures to the detriment of a young person after four years of satisfactory academic results and learning achievements – is not only legally wrong but also incomprehensible from a human perspective,” commented Ombudsperson Christoph Luisser on the decision.
Digital exams possible again for Sophie
Thanks to the courageous intervention of Ombudsperson Christoph Luisser, a provisional agreement has now been reached with the Lower Austrian Education Authority to allow the assessments to be conducted digitally.
For Ombudsperson Luisser, this is a partial victory, but not a satisfactory solution. “The Lower Austrian education authorities are taking away the only thing that gives a seriously ill child a sense of stability in life,” Luisser continued. After all, due to her sensitivity to light and noise, screen-based work is almost impossible for little Sophie and poses a health risk to her. The sad irony of the situation is that she is, however, exempt from the subject ‘Digital Literacy’.
The extent to which the Education Directorate and the school value the future and educational opportunities of a child marked by misfortune remains to be seen and will be judged by their future decisions. For Christoph Luisser, at any rate, it is clear that he will continue to campaign vigorously for young Sophie’s rights and will not give up.
