Facts
The Federal Tribunal was seized of an appeal against an amendment to the school law of the canton of Thurgau allowing the invoicing to parents of contributions for class trips, mandatory excursions and camps, as well as the obligation for students to take language courses with financial participation of the parents. The Federal Tribunal upheld the appeal and annulled these legal provisions. The facts can be summarized as follows: - On 18 November 2015, the Grand Council of the canton of Thurgau adopted an amendment to the Compulsory Schooling Act (§ 39 paras. 1 and 2). This new regulation allowed for the invoicing to parents of contributions for class trips, mandatory excursions and camps, as well as for any language courses and interpretation services. - Parents appealed against this amendment to the Federal Tribunal, requesting the annulment of paras. 1 and 2 of § 39.Considerations
The Federal Tribunal upheld the appeal. It considered that the challenged provisions were not in conformity with the constitutional requirements regarding the right to sufficient and free basic education (Art. 19 Cst.). Regarding para. 1 of § 39, the Tribunal ruled that when participation is mandatory, the expenses for excursions and camps are an integral part of the necessary education and must therefore be free of charge. Only the child's meal costs can be invoiced to the parents, as the latter must bear the accommodation costs even in the…