A family from Santa Maria refuses to attend a religious school: "We want a public, secular school."

PalmThe case of Ferreries, where 11 families who refused to attend the public school have been given places at the religious charter school, is not the only one in the enrollment process for the next academic year. In Santa Maria del Camí, four families with 3-year-old children have been excluded from the CEIP Melcior Rosselló y Simonet. They have been granted places at the Ramon Llull school, a Christian charter school run by the Sisters of Charity. "We want to send our son to the town's public, secular school. Furthermore, we are a family made up of two women, which, unfortunately, makes us feel even more vulnerable in this context," explains Marta (not her real name), the mother of one of the families affected by the lack of public school places.

One of the issues that concerns Marta, given her family type, is the religious ideology behind Catholic schools. "In one of his last speeches, Pope Leo XIV said that same-sex couples were not considered families. He doesn't accept us, and it's impossible for me to take my son to a Christian-based school, when the most important person in Christianity has said this," she says.

The situation María encountered is a clear example of the moral conflict faced by non-believing families forced to enroll their children in Catholic schools. Article 27 of the Constitution states that "the public authorities guarantee the right of parents to ensure that their children receive the religious and moral education that is in accordance with their own convictions." Historically, the administration violates this constitutional right. Families are allowed to indicate preferences, but if there are no places for everyone, the child is assigned to whatever school is available.

The four affected families regret not having obtained a place in a public school. As they did in Ferreries, they have asked the Education Department to allow their children to attend a public school, a request that has been rejected. "This causes us great concern and profound unease, as we believe that schooling in the municipality's public schools should be guaranteed for all resident children," they explain in a letter sent to ARA Baleares. "We are particularly concerned about the emotional impact this may have on children, as well as the logistical and social difficulties for families forced to take their children outside their immediate surroundings," they added.

Goodbye to local public schools

Marta's family has decided to take their son to the Santa Eugenia school (CEIP Mestre Guillemet), a 15-minute drive away. "It will involve changes in family logistics. We already lived in Pina and moved to Santa María to be in a larger town. We won't be moving now, but we had the idea of having a local public school, and that won't be possible," she laments. "He went to the local preschool, and all his friends have enrolled in the Santa María public school. He's sad not to be able to go with them. We've had to encourage him," explains the mother.

In Ferreries, families who wanted to enroll their children in the public school (CEIP Castell de Santa Àgueda) but ended up in the private religious school (CC Sant Francesc de Asís) due to a lack of places—the Department of Education has referred them there—have not given up. Six of the 11 students have given in and accepted the allocated place, while the rest will wait until September to find a more suitable educational alternative. Sources close to the families affected by the decision assure that, of those who did attend the private religious school, some would accept a change of school if offered.