Eight-year-old Laurena from Stadl-Predlitz in Styria has multiple disabilities and relies on a special needs school with a teaching assistant. The nearest special-needs school is in the neighbouring municipality of Tamsweg in the Land of Salzburg. It was precisely this exemption from the school catchment area that became a problem for little Laurena and her parents.
Neither Styrian nor the laws of the Land of Salzburg provide for the funding of the necessary teaching assistant when a child attends a school outside their designated catchment area in another Land in border districts.
The nearest Styrian special-needs school is in Judenburg
In Styria, on the other hand, the nearest special-needs school is not until Judenburg. The journey to school would take considerably longer in this case – an unreasonable burden for a severely disabled child, one that could be avoided.
After all options had been exhausted, despite the best efforts of the headteacher of the Tamsweg special-needs school and Laurena’s parents, they turned to the Ombudsperson, Dr Christoph Luisser, for help, and he took immediate action.
“Immediate action was required shortly after the start of the school year”
In little Laurena’s case, the Austrian Ombudsman Board’s investigative proceedings have now led to a positive outcome, as Ombudsperson Dr Christoph Luisser and Laurena’s parents explained on the television programme Bürgeranwalt ("Advocate for the People") on 3 October 2026.
“The two regional education ministers from Styria and the Land of Salzburg, together with the Departments of Education and in consultation with the municipality of Stadl-Predlitz, succeeded in swiftly finding an acceptable solution for Laurena. Shortly after the start of the school year, immediate action was necessary to enable Laurena to start school with direct immediacy. “I would like to thank those responsible for making this possible,” said the Ombudsperson.
Laurena is not an isolated case – Ombudspersons call for nationwide provision
The case of eight-year-old Laurena is no exception in Austria. Children with disabilities and their parents are regularly confronted with the hurdles posed by differing Laender laws when it comes to attending school across provincial borders.
Whilst Laurena is now allowed to attend her chosen school in Tamsweg, another girl with a disability from the same municipality still has to attend a mainstream school this year.
“In 2025, the Federal Government agreed on two fundamental points in its Governmental Programme: the redesign of special educational needs and the coverage of costs for the necessary school support,” notes Ombudsperson Luisser.
“I urge the Federal Government to take its own plans seriously. Individual pupils must no longer be placed at a disadvantage because of their special needs. A nationwide solution must finally be found and put into practice,” the Ombudsperson concluded.
