The new rules allow municipalities to create satellite branches of primary schools and to repurpose unused space in schools and other educational facilities for community use – such as child and elderly care, adult education, health services and cultural activities.
Under the legislation, schools with up to 70 pupils will be able to offer after-school care to pre-school children.
The law also extends the mandatory notice period before a school can be closed or restructured to six months, and requires public consultations to be held in such cases.
Nawrocki said that without his signature, schools could have been widely shut down, with blame passed between central government and local authorities.
"Decisions about schools cannot be made purely on economic grounds," he said.
"This is about children, local communities and the future."
The changes shift responsibility for school decisions fully to local government.
Complaints against the regional school inspector's opinion on closures will now go directly to an administrative court, speeding up the process.
The law comes against a backdrop of significant demographic decline.
According to the Statistics Poland (GUS), the number of children aged 7–14 is projected to fall by around 19.5 percent by 2034, and by some 30 percent by 2060.
(ał)
Source: PAP