Female teachers in St. Gallen will soon no longer be allowed to wear headscarves

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• The St. Gallen Cantonal Council has approved a motion to ban religiously motivated clothing and symbols worn by teachers.
• This was triggered by the case of a teacher wearing a headscarf in Eschenbach, who was not hired following protests from parents.
• The government must now draw up an amendment to the law, whereby the ban is to be limited to elementary school.

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On Wednesday, the majority of the St. Gallen cantonal council approved a cross-party motion that will result in a canton-wide ban on headscarves for female teachers. This was triggered by a case in Eschenbach SG.

In the summer of 2025, parents in Eschenbach objected to the employment of a young female teacher who wanted to teach with a headscarf. In the end, the school decided not to employ her after all.

Shortly afterwards, individual members from all four parliamentary groups submitted a motion to the cantonal council. This demanded clarification. In the Elementary School Act, the wearing of "religiously motivated clothing or symbols by teachers" at public schools should be prohibited.

The government supported the demand, but wanted to limit the ban to elementary school. On Wednesday morning, the Council approved the motion by 70 votes to 46 after a nuanced debate. The government must now draw up an amendment to the law.