A court has ordered officials to respond to violations of the rights of parents of kindergarten students in Sochi.

THIS MATERIAL (INFORMATION) WAS PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED BY THE FOREIGN AGENT MEMO LLC, OR CONCERNING THE ACTIVITIES OF THE FOREIGN AGENT MEMO LLC.

Sochi resident Yulia Baranetskaya received a court ruling that the regulation on communication ethics in parent chats adopted by the administration of her kindergarten was unlawful and ordered the Ministry of Education and Science of the Krasnodar Territory to rectify the violations.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," the conflict between parents and the administration of Kindergarten No. 121 in Sochi has been ongoing since the spring of 2025. The parents of the children have repeatedly demanded that a criminal case be opened for child abuse, but law enforcement agencies found no evidence of a crime in the actions of the teacher, who resigned voluntarily. In January, the Sochi administration told parents that psychologists had not identified a "negative emotional-psychological climate in the group," while ignoring a recording of an episode of child abuse. In April, a court in Krasnodar found illegal the actions of Kuban Ministry of Education officials who ignored a violation of parents' rights to freedom of speech and opinion at Sochi's Kindergarten No. 121.

On May 19, Elena Baranetskaya, a mother of many children in Sochi, received by mail a reasoned decision from the Oktyabrsky District Court of Krasnodar in her case against the Ministry of Education and Science of Krasnodar Krai, as well as a summons scheduling a new court hearing in Sochi for May 21 on the lawsuit against Kindergarten No. 121 and the city's education department. According to Baranetskaya, both events are a continuation of a months-long conflict between the students' parents and education officials.

Parents are afraid to directly confront officials.

"Parents are afraid to directly confront officials. Everyone is working, and there is no one to leave their children with. There is a shortage of kindergartens. Meanwhile, parents fear that the treatment of their children will worsen even further. They write about this in our group chat. But we can't remain silent any longer," Baranetskaya told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

She emphasized that she knows the education system from the inside, as she works as a teacher in a rural school in Sochi, and intends to seek change to the "year-old, non-pedagogical system of raising children through harsh treatment and disrespect for children's rights."

According to Baranetskaya, after the scandal, some parents tried to get a reaction through the courts and filed a class action lawsuit against the kindergarten and the Sochi Department of Education. However, according to the plaintiff, the same judge denied the application three times. "People simply despaired and stopped believing that justice could be achieved. In the end, I was left alone," she said.

Nevertheless, her administrative lawsuit was accepted for proceedings. A new hearing in the case against the Sochi Education Department and Kindergarten No. 121 is scheduled for May 21, according to the summons, a copy of which is in the possession of the "Caucasian Knot."

Simultaneously, Baranetskaya received a reasoned decision from the Oktyabrsky District Court of Krasnodar in the case against the Ministry of Education and Science of Krasnodar Krai and Minister Elena Vorobyeva. A copy of the decision is also in the possession of the "Caucasian Knot." According to the plaintiff, the document was prepared 40 days after the operative part of the decision was announced, although the law provides for a ten-day period. "I understand the courts' workload, and for me, the most important thing is that the judge handled the situation legally and fairly." "The fact that we had to wait a long time is therefore not so painful," she noted.

The text of the decision states that the court ordered the Ministry of Education and Science of the Krasnodar Territory "to eliminate instances of formalism in the development of regulations and other local regulatory legal acts affecting the rights of minors and their legal representatives by municipal institutions under its control."

The court also ordered the ministry "to take preventive measures as provided by law" against the head of MDOBU Kindergarten No. 121 in Sochi, who adopted and used a local regulation—"Regulations on the Ethics of Communication in Parental Chats on Social Networks and Messengers" dated August 29, 2024—against Baranetskaya and her young son. The court found this regulation to be inconsistent with current legislation. The decision also stated: "Preliminary measures for the administrative claim were not applied."

"No appeal was received from the Krasnodar Krai Ministry of Education within a month of the decision," a court clerk told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He also clarified that the time limit begins to run from the moment the court decision is received, and did not rule out the possibility that a complaint could still be filed requesting reinstatement of the deadline for filing the complaint.

Lawyer Andrey Melnikov, who provides legal advice to parents on a pro bono basis, commented on the situation and noted that the court's decision, which has entered into force, obligates the ministry not only to formally respond to the complainant but also to correct the identified violations.

This is a matter of recognizing a local regulatory act as illegal and, in effect, a judicial review of the actions of education system officials.

"This is a matter of recognizing a local regulatory act as illegal and, in effect, a judicial review of the actions of education system officials. After the decision enters into force, the ministry is obligated to take real measures in response, and not limit itself to correspondence," the lawyer explained to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to him, if the court's decision is not voluntarily complied with, the plaintiff has the right to obtain a writ of execution and send it to the bailiffs. "The life hack here is simple: you can't just wait. After the decision comes into force, you must file an application for a writ of execution, then oversee the initiation of enforcement proceedings and request a written report from the bailiffs on the measures taken. This significantly increases the chances of the court's decision being enforced," the lawyer said.

We've been led by the nose for several months now, being led in circles and fed with formal replies.

Yulia Baranetskaya also stated that she intends to seek an assessment of the actions of law enforcement agencies, which, according to her, have failed to take effective measures following parents' complaints. "I see inaction on the part of law enforcement agencies, who, by refusing to initiate criminal or administrative proceedings against the director and teacher, are effectively encouraging crimes against young children. There are videos, there are complaints, there are statements from parents about violence against their children, but no action is being taken. We've been led by the nose for several months now, being led in circles and fed with formal replies. If necessary, I will go to court regarding the inaction of law enforcement agencies," she said.