Educarm issues convivencia decree

Murcia is tightening the rules around school behavior — and the point is pretty simple. The regional Education Department says the current framework is too old and too narrow for the kinds of conflicts schools now deal with, especially bullying, aggression, and digital harassment. So on May 1 it said it is finishing a new Decree on School Coexistence that will harden sanctions, reinforce teacher authority, and extend school discipline rules beyond the classroom. (carm.es) ### What is this decree actually about? In Spain, “convivencia escolar” basically means the rules, routines, and support systems that let a school function without intimidation, humiliation, or constant disruption. Murcia already has a coexistence decree on the books — Decree 16/2016 — plus later protocols on bullying and student protection. The new mo(carm.es) region now sees as too soft or too limited. (carm.es) ### What changed this week? The news is not that the decree is fully published in the official gazette yet. The news is that Murcia’s Education Department publicly said it is in the final stretch of drafting the new text and spelled out what it will do. That matters because the government is no longer talking in vague terms about “improving clima(carm.es)hat damages school life. (carm.es) ### Why does Murcia say it needs tougher rules? The department tied the push directly to anti-bullying policy. For the 2023-24 school year, Murcia logged 641 protocols for possible bullying, and 55 ended with evidence of bullying — 8.58% of the total. That share was down by more than a point from the previous year, which Murcia presents as proof that e(carm.es) serious or violent. (carm.es) ### What will schools be able to do differently? Two changes stand out. First, the decree will broaden where the rules apply — not just in class, but also on school transport, in cafeterias, and during the full time a student remains under the center’s responsibility. Second, it is meant to strengthen the teacher’s position as an authority figure when (carm.es) but gives schools a clearer convivencia rulebook to act on. (carm.es) ### Where does mobile-phone policy fit in? A lot of the political case for the decree comes from Murcia’s phone crackdown. The region says the mobile ban introduced in January 2024 improved coexistence and cut cyberbullying. In 2025, cyberbullying files were down 19% from 2023. Confirmed bullying through social networks or technological means fell 54% (carm.es)y 78% versus 2023. Basically, Murcia is arguing that stricter rules already worked once. (carm.es) ### What about ConviveTEAM? ConviveTEAM is one piece of the wider convivencia strategy, not the decree itself. It is a peer-support program designed to help students transition into secondary school and avoid the isolation that can turn into emotional distress, exclusion, or bullying. Murcia had 65 secondary schools in the project this school year, and(carm.es)after the fact. (carm.es) ### So what is the real takeaway? This is Murcia trying to do two things at once — prevention and deterrence. The region is keeping the softer side, like peer mentoring and wellbeing programs, but it is also making clear that the next convivencia framework will be more punitive and more expansive than the 2016 one. If the final decree matches this outline(carm.es)ing or aggression spills outside the classroom. (carm.es)