The Freedom from Religion Foundation demanded that schools transfer religion to the first or last lesson and provide students with ethical lessons. Since September, it has already intervened in 21 schools.
Since the beginning of the 2026/2027 school year, the Freedom from Religion Foundation has intervened in the case of irregularities in religion and ethics lessons in 21 Polish schools. Principals place catechesis in the middle of the timetable, although the regulations in force require it to be organized before or after compulsory lessons. It also happens that parents have to submit written resignations from religion, even though they are not obliged to do so. The Foundation also deals with the problems of students who want to attend ethics classes, but schools do not organize classes for them. One of the latest interventions concerns a school in Łomża, where religion took place in the middle of the day in 36 classes, and 169 students who did not participate in religion had windows at that time.
The school in Łomża organizes religion contrary to the regulations
On September 23, 2026, the president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, Dorota Wójcik, applied to the management of the Mechanical and General School Complex No. 5 in Łomża to transfer religion to the first or last lesson. She reminded that from 1 September 2025, secondary schools must organise catechesis before or after compulsory classes.
In a letter addressed to the management, she wrote:
(…) In the case of secondary schools, a religion or ethics lesson must always be organized before or after school classes, regardless of the number of people enrolled.
At the same time, the foundation requested information about the number of students enrolled in religion and ethics, the way these classes are organized and the windows in the lesson plans.
The management did not respond within the statutory deadline. Therefore, on 9 October, Dorota Wójcik sent a pre-court summons to the school, in which she set seven days to respond. She also announced that she would file a complaint with the administrative court if the school continues to delay.
Finally, the response was received on October 12. It was signed by Deputy Director Wioleta Cwalina. The school confirmed that as of September 23, religion was held in the middle of the lesson plan in 36 classes. Only nine classes have organized it before or after compulsory classes.
In the case of a secondary school, such a plan violates the provisions of the Regulation of the Minister of Education of 17 January 2025. Principals cannot put religion in the middle of the day, even if all the students of a given class attend catechesis.
169 students have bay windows. The school also does not organize ethics lessons
The school in Łomża is currently attended by 903 students. 681 people were enrolled in the Catholic religion, while eight students chose ethics.
The foundation also asked how many students have to wait for the next compulsory lessons. It turned out that as many as 169 students who do not participate in religion or ethics have windows in the timetable. Meanwhile, according to the information provided by the school, none of the students enrolled in catechesis has such breaks.
The problems do not end there. The Foundation also checked why the school does not organize ethics lessons, although for several years there have been volunteers for them.
In the 2024/2025 school year, four students chose ethics, and five a year later. Despite the applications, the school did not provide classes. The management explained this by the difficulties in finding a suitably qualified teacher.
In the 2026/2027 school year, eight students have already chosen ethics. However, the management's response shows that they still do not have this subject in their lesson plans.
Similar irregularities in Legionowo and Strzelin
The Freedom from Religion Foundation also controls the organization of religion in other schools. In recent weeks, it has revealed similar problems, among others, in Legionowo and Strzelin.
In September, catechesis was in the middle of the schedule of 12 groups at the Maria Konopnicka High School in Legionowo. In the next ten classes, the school organized it before or after compulsory lessons.
The management explained that the September plan was temporary. At that time, students who did not participate in religion were waiting for the next lessons in the school library under the supervision of a teacher.
After the intervention of the foundation, the school announced that it would improve the plan from October 1, so that religion and ethics would take place in accordance with the regulation.
In turn, in the Public Primary School No. 4 in Strzelin, religion was placed in the middle of the plan in as many as 16 classes, although only in four all students participated in catechesis.
In primary schools, the regulations allow for such a solution only if, as of 15 September, all pupils of a given class participate in religion or ethics.
After analyzing the response of the management, the foundation announced that it would file a complaint with the Board of Education.
Since September, the foundation has intervened in the case of 21 schools
During the first six weeks of the 2026/2027 school year, the Freedom from Religion Foundation described interventions involving 21 institutions. The cases concerned schools in Łomża, Legionowo, Strzelin, Mielec, Myszków, Zielona Góra, Mikołów, Bydgoszcz, Łowicz, Krosno, Warsaw and Lublin, among others.
In addition to improperly arranged lesson plans, the foundation also deals with forcing parents to submit statements about resignation from religion.
She described such cases, among others, in Primary School No. 16 in Bydgoszcz, Primary School No. 4 in Łowicz and Primary School No. 14 in Krosno.
Meanwhile, the regulations are clear. Religion and ethics are voluntary classes, and the school organizes them at the request of parents of underage students or the students themselves, if they are of age.
Parents who have not enrolled their child in religion do not have to submit any resignation. A school may not require such a document as a condition for not participating in catechesis. However, if the parents have previously enrolled their child in religion, they can later withdraw their statement.
The Foundation also intervenes in matters related to the organization of religious practices during school classes.
One of such cases concerns the School and Kindergarten Complex in Strzeszyn near Biecz. According to information published by the foundation, the school organized parish missions, the program of which included, among others, mass and confession.
Dorota Wójcik asked the management for:
ensuring real voluntary participation in religious practices
She also demanded that teachers should not be required to participate in religious practices while caring for students.
In some schools, the directors confirmed irregularities. In others, the foundation is still waiting for explanations or decisions from the education authorities. Therefore, the number 21 refers to the described interventions, and not only to schools in which the violation of the law has already been finally confirmed.
Religion must be at the beginning or end of the class. What do the regulations say?
From 1 September 2025, new rules for organizing religion and ethics are in force in Polish schools. They were introduced by the Regulation of the Minister of Education of 17 January 2025.
First of all, the number of hours of these subjects was limited to one per week. At the same time, schools were obliged to include religion and ethics immediately before or after compulsory classes.
The regulation provides for an exception for primary schools. If, as of 15 September, all students of a given class participate in religion or ethics, classes can also take place in the middle of the day.
There is no such exception in secondary schools. Principals of high schools, technical schools, and vocational schools must organize religion and ethics before or after compulsory classes, regardless of the number of students enrolled in these subjects.
The new rules were primarily intended to reduce the number of windows and improve the organization of the day of students who do not participate in catechesis.
The regulations have been in force for the second school year. Despite this, in some institutions, students still have religion in the middle of the day, and those who do not attend it are waiting for the next classes.What does the Freedom from Religion Foundation do?
The Freedom from Religion Foundation operates in Lublin and deals with the protection of freedom of conscience, the rights of non-religious people and counteracting discrimination on the grounds of religious and ideological beliefs.
Since 2014, she has been running the "Equality at School" project, under which she helps students, parents and teachers. It provides legal advice, prepares letters to school heads and board of trustees, and checks whether institutions comply with the education law.
The Foundation reacts, among other things, to the improper organization of religion and ethics, forcing students to participate in religious practices and making it difficult for people who do not attend catechesis to access classes.
In its substantive report for 2025, the organization informed:
In 2025, we provided direct informational and legal support to over 400 people, advised and made available sample letters to people intervening individually with our support, as well as sent over 100 intervention letters on behalf of the victims as a foundation.
In addition to individual assistance, the foundation participates in consultations on education law and cooperates with institutions responsible for supervising schools.
In 2025, its representatives participated, among other things, in the work of the Ministry of National Education's team for cooperation with non-governmental organizations.
The Foundation believes that its interventions have also contributed to a change in the way complaints are handled by some education authorities. In her 2025 report, she wrote:
We have managed to obtain a change in the conduct of some of the education authorities, a spectacular example of which is the change in the substantive position of the Lublin Board of Education and the recommendations for a secular school issued by the Lublin Board of Education.
The foundation's activities go beyond schools. The organization also deals with the separation of state and church, public funding of religious institutions, the rights of non-religious people and regulations on offending religious feelings.
How to report irregularities and support the foundation?
Parents, teachers and adult students can turn to the Freedom from Religion Foundation if the school does not comply with the regulations on religion and ethics.
The Foundation helps, among other things, in matters of improperly arranged lesson plans, refusal to organize ethics, forcing religious declarations and violating freedom of conscience.
The organization can be contacted at:
The Foundation also provides guides and templates of handwritings that parents and students can use when contacting the school management or the Board of Education.
The organization's activities are financed, among other things, by donations. It can be supported by one-off payments, regular donations and by donating 1.5 percent of income tax.
The Foundation has the status of a public benefit organization, and its KRS number is 0000403073.
Information about the interventions carried out, guides and details on how to support the organization can be found on the wolnoscodreligii.pl website.
Since the beginning of September, the foundation has intervened in the case of 21 schools. The answers already provided show that some directors still do not comply with the regulations on the organization of religion, although they have been in force for over a year. In subsequent cases, the foundation demands explanations and announces that it will address complaints to the education authorities.
Source: Freedom from Religion Foundation
