The Catalan Education Department has not yet received any formal requests to withdraw from a pilot programme that integrates Mossos d'Esquadra officers into 14 educational centres, according to sources from the department.
However, the teaching staff of four of these centres have publicly opposed the pilot and asked not to participate. These include the Margarida Xirgu Institute in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, and the Jaume Callís Institute, La Plana Institute, and Comtat d'Osona Institute, all located in Vic.
Growing Opposition to Police Presence
According to sources from the USTEC teachers' union, two more institutes could also pull out. One is the Pepa Colomer School Institute in El Prat de Llobregat, where the union says a debate process has started to request its non-participation. The other is an institute in Vic, where a Mossos d'Esquadra officer has been present since Monday, but the issue will be debated by the teaching staff next week.
The pilot programme involves the presence of an plainclothes Mossos d'Esquadra officer in educational centres, from primary to post-compulsory levels. Their role is to provide support and prevention services.
This plan has faced significant opposition from a large part of the educational community. The Education Department previously assured that participation would not be compulsory for any institution.
