Nowacka Bypasses Presidential Veto on Student Rights

Education Minister Barbara Nowacka announced an administrative “Plan B” to establish a Student Rights Ombudsman by September 1, circumventing President Karol Nawrocki’s veto of the recent student rights legislation.

Administrative bypass of the presidential veto

Minister Barbara Nowacka confirmed on Radio Gdańsk that she will not submit a new bill to the President, citing a lack of substantive engagement from his office. Instead, the Ministry of Education will use internal administrative procedures to implement the system of student ombudsmen before the start of the school year on September 1.

Nowacka criticized the President for dismissing the proposal, arguing that his veto ignored the voices of the youth and his own Youth Council members who supported the initiative to resolve disputes within schools rather than through administrative offices.

Compulsory health education and optional sex education

Starting September 1, schools will introduce a new health education subject covering preventive medicine, nutrition, and digital hygiene. While these topics will be mandatory, sex education has been excluded from the compulsory curriculum.

The Minister explained that this decision was a direct response to feedback from teachers. She noted that while she personally supports including sex education, she wants to protect educators from unnecessary ideological conflicts and school-level disputes.

Clash over reproductive health and church rhetoric

Nowacka addressed recent comments by Bishop Wiesław Szlachetka, who criticized IVF and promoted naprotechnology during a Radio Maryja pilgrimage mass. The Minister accused the Church of stigmatizing parents and engaging in an ideological dispute with its own faithful.

She emphasized that in vitro fertilization is a scientifically proven and effective method. Nowacka criticized the previous PiS administration’s reliance on naprotechnology, claiming that data regarding its efficacy was suppressed as results were poor.