Analysts have called the illegal collections from parents in schools and kindergartens in the Caucasus.

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Money collections from parents of schoolchildren and kindergarten children, similar to the collections for protective film in a school in Krasnodar or extortions in Ingushetia, are illegal; in essence, this is shifting the responsibilities of the state onto the shoulders of citizens.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot" on September 2, residents of Krasnodar expressed outrage over the collection of money from parents for protective film for the windows of one of the schools and questioned the effectiveness of such a protective measure. Telegram users stated that the costs of ensuring school safety should not be shifted onto parents, and the protective film does not guarantee window protection in the event of an explosion. Parents of schoolchildren and kindergarten children in Ingushetia also complain about the collections; according to them, refusing to give money affects their relationship with the child and their academic performance.

On September 8, the issue of money collections from parents of schoolchildren and kindergarten children was commented on by former teacher and education expert Svetlana Reshetnikova, school education expert Ekaterina Lazareva, and lawyer Artem Yuriev, who specializes in protecting rights in the field of education.

The question of collecting funds from parents for protective film or any other safety elements is a direct attempt to shift a state function onto the shoulders of citizens.

Svetlana Reshetnikova called the initiatives for covering windows with protective film and the collections in schools a shifting of state functions onto parents. "The question of collecting funds from parents for protective film or any other safety elements is a direct attempt to shift a state function onto the shoulders of citizens. According to paragraph 2 of part 6 of article 28 of Federal Law No. 273-FZ "On Education in the Russian Federation", ensuring safe learning conditions and protecting the life and health of students is a direct obligation of the educational organization. If the education department states that covering windows with film is not a mandatory norm of anti-terrorist protection, then the school has no right to initiate such financial requests to families," she said.

According to her, the school administration is obliged to provide parents with comprehensive expert conclusions and justifications before bringing such proposals to discussion. "If it concerns the safety of children, the school should rely on the prescriptions of the National Guard, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, or technical regulations, in particular, the government decree No. 1006 on the anti-terrorist protection of facilities of the Ministry of Education, rather than on emotional impulses. Before attracting any extrabudgetary funds, which, according to Federal Law No. 135-FZ "On Charitable Activities", can only be strictly voluntary donations to the school's account, the administration must provide parents with a technical and economic justification and an official refusal from the municipality to allocate these funds from the budget," the expert explained.

Commenting on the situation with collections in Ingushetia, she added that the problem is systemic across the country, and the scheme of collecting funds through active parents in parent committees has become a universal cover for school management. "Collecting money through parent committees is a classic trick that allows the principal and teachers to remain legally clean. At the federal level, strict regulations for the operation of parent committees should be introduced, prohibiting them from conducting any cash or non-cash collections for the needs of the educational process and logistical support," she concluded.

The state guarantees the accessibility and free provision of general education.

Ekaterina Lazareva also points out that replacing mandatory state funding with "parental initiative" undermines the accessibility of free education. "The situation where collections are organized by the parent committee is recorded everywhere across Russia, including the republics of the North Caucasus. This creates an atmosphere of social pressure, where refusal to participate in collections is perceived as neglecting one's own child. However, the state guarantees the accessibility and free provision of general education. The parent committee is merely an organ of public self-governance; it does not have financial authority and has no right to make decisions obliging all parents to give money," she said.

In her opinion, at the federal level, it is necessary to strengthen control over the financial and economic activities of schools. "As soon as direct personal responsibility for any unofficial collections occurring within their institutions is introduced for principals, the so-called active parents who organize collections will not be so active and initiative. The principal plays an important role in this chain because if there is a real ban on collecting money, this practice will be reduced to zero," she noted.

The school administration or teachers have no right to demand or even initiate the collection of money for protective film or any other logistical needs.

Artem Yuriev emphasized that the demands of the school administration or teachers for money fall under the classification of offenses. "The school administration or teachers have no right to demand or even initiate the collection of money for protective film or any other logistical needs. Article 9 and article 28 of the Federal Law "On Education in the Russian Federation" clearly define that material and technical support lies with the institution. Given the clarifications that covering with film is not included in mandatory standards, the intersection of such initiatives with the educational process directly falls under the definition of illegal collections, and in the case of pressure on parents, under the signs of abuse of power - article 19.1 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation, illegal attraction of funds - article 14.28 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation, or violation of charity legislation - article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation," he said.

Regarding cases of pressure and bullying of children whose parents refused to give money, the lawyer pointed to the strict responsibility of officials. "A teacher or principal for such actions bears disciplinary responsibility up to dismissal under paragraph 8 of part 1 of article 81 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation for committing an immoral act, as well as administrative responsibility under article 5.57 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation for violating or restricting the rights and freedoms of students. When faced with collections and pressure, parents should send a written statement to the school principal demanding clarification of the legal grounds for collecting money and stopping pressure on the child. If there is no response or the situation does not change, the next step should be a simultaneous appeal to the city department or the regional ministry of education and to the prosecutor's office," the specialist emphasized.

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