"We won't take the children to school": protest in Son Sardina for a teacher convicted of child abuse
The teacher will work at the Maria Antònia Salvà Primary School after working last year at the Gabriel Janera i Manila Primary School, where he met the victim.
PalmThe families of the Maria Antònia Salvà Primary School (Son Sardina) are unwilling to accept that Miquel Roldán, a temporary teacher sentenced to one year in prison for child abuse (but not disqualified), will work at their school this school year. "The children won't be returning to school until Monday. The proposal has great support, and we have contacted the center for families who have no alternative childcare options," explains Antònia (not her real name), a mother at the school who, like all the affected family members consulted, prefers to remain anonymous. "Teachers are required to provide a certificate of non-commitment to teach sexual offenses, but they should be required not to have been convicted of any offenses involving minors," she adds.
Last year, Roldán had a position at the Gabriel Janer y Manila Primary School (Pla de na Tesa), the school where he met the victim. The families at this school expressed their opposition to the teacher's return, considering it counterproductive that he wanted to return to a place with which he was so closely associated, even after negative events. To try to calm the waters, Educació appointed a support teacher who was responsible for monitoring his every move. However, this year the families at Son Sardina are not willing to give in.
The parents of Antoni Salvà have sent a letter to the Regional Ministry to denounce the presence of a teacher convicted of bullying a minor "generates alarm, mistrust, and fear." They asserted that their children have "the right to grow and learn in a protected, risk-free environment." They also added that there are "sufficient" criminal records that would make their teaching work incompatible, and emphasized that they consider it "unacceptable" for someone with this criminal record to be in daily contact with minors in a classroom.
Return to the neighborhood
Roldán's connection with Son Sardina dates back years. "He was my son's tutor in fifth and sixth grade. Until one day he disappeared," explains Antònia. On December 24, 2022, the teacher, also a singer-songwriter, set off alarm bells among his family and friends when he sent them a farewell letter and published his "last song" on social media. In the song, he explained that life isn't always what it seems and that there were many things about the reality he lived that everyone didn't know. Days later, he showed signs of life and said that at no point had he thought of suicide. Meanwhile, police officers and citizens searched for him for days, thinking he might be killed.
In 2023-2024, explains Antònia, the teacher visited the IES Son Pacs, where he had former students in the first and second years of compulsory secondary education. He was invited to leave. The following year, he enrolled in a mid-level vocational training program at the same school. "We notified the management team, who separated the playground times to prevent them from meeting. Roldán dropped out of the class suddenly," she says. The same mother also explains that she was "sure" that after passing through Janer and Manila, Roldán would go to Son Sardina, "because he posted on social media with a message that said 'closing circles' and he was sure the circle would close at Son Sardina," she explains. "It happened very quickly. The sixth-grade tutor took sick leave and he claimed the spot. Since he has a lot of points, it was his."
The superior rights of minors
Marco (not his real name) is the father of one of the children in Roldán's sixth-grade class. "My son won't go to class with this guy. Instead, we'll take him to a private school or homeschool him," he says. "We won't go because our children's rights come first, and we won't back down. Many of us think that if everything isn't resolved, we'll take our children to a private school. He's now looking for the root of what happened, and that's why he's putting forward the idea of 'closing the cycle,'" says the father.
In February, a joint committee meeting between the government and education unions was held at the Ministry of Education to decide on the convicted teacher's future. The seven representatives of the government voted in favor of a psychiatric evaluation, while the union representatives from STEI, UGT, ANPE, Alternativa, and USO abstained, and SIAU and UOB voted against. As there was no absolute majority, the initiative was deadlocked. The teacher will only undergo a psychiatric evaluation if he so desires. Educació went a step further and called on the Spanish government to amend current legislation to prevent individuals of this profile from treating minors. ARA Baleares has asked the Ministry if it plans to take any immediate action, but has received no response.