The regulation, currently in its drafting phase, seeks to protect teachers' work and address increasing conflicts in island schools. However, families believe the text overlooks critical educational issues such as school bullying and rising youth suicides, expressing concerns that it could infringe upon students' rights.
“"The preamble of this norm places families and students as the focus of a problematic climate, and its tools are based on reminding who holds the truth and who deserves protection, instead of fostering co-responsibility."
During the Education Commission at the Canarian Parliament, AMPAS requested that their proposals be considered to reformulate the law. Sergio de la Fe, a representative of the Federation of AMPAS of Gran Canaria-Galdós, called the measure “empty and redundant,” noting that teacher authority is already covered by existing legislation. He proposed abandoning the current regulation and drafting a new bill with input from experts and the Canarian School Council (CEC), criticizing the limited involvement of families in the process.
For a more comprehensive reform, De la Fe suggested increasing educational funding and ensuring compliance with the Canarian Education Law. He argued that underinvestment demonstrates a “lack of respect” for the educational community, which operates with inadequate infrastructure and high student-teacher ratios. He also called for strengthening the CEC, making its reports mandatory even for proposed laws.
Meanwhile, Mariam Álvarez, also from the Federation of AMPAS of Gran Canaria-Galdós, highlighted the low percentage of aggressions between students and teachers. She criticized the law for being based on a flawed perception of classroom violence and pointed to alarming statistics, such as 70% of youth suicides being linked to bullying, and 63% of teachers lacking training to identify situations of child vulnerability.
Ismene de Santiago, from the Federation of AMPAS of Fuerteventura-Fimapa, questioned the link between teacher recognition and authority, and the debate's focus on issues that do not reflect daily school realities. She emphasized the potential violation of rights for students with Specific Educational Support Needs (NEAE), arguing that classroom tension stems from a lack of resources and structure to address diversity, rather than a lack of authority.
“"Families are not confronting teachers, but what we cannot accept is being presented as responsible for the deterioration of coexistence in schools."
Despite their criticisms, the AMPAS acknowledge the need to support teachers but insist that the current approach to the debate does not help resolve coexistence issues in Canarian classrooms.
