Barbara Nowacka told reporters on Monday she hoped the issue would be "swiftly explained and resolved," allowing the school community to regain calm.
The incident reportedly occurred in mid-December at a school in the village of Kielno, near the coastal city of Gdańsk, where a teacher allegedly removed a cross from a classroom wall during an English lesson and threw it into a trash bin after students refused to take it down.
Local authorities reported the matter to prosecutors in the nearby town of Wejherowo, who have opened an investigation into a possible offence against religious feelings.
The teacher told the regional daily Dziennik Bałtycki that the incident was a misunderstanding, saying she had removed what she described as a "Halloween cosplay gadget hung near a hamster cage, not a religious symbol."
Controversy 'exploited for political gain'
She said she respects religious objects and "would never dispose of a cross," adding that politicians were "exploiting the situation for political gain."
Nowacka criticised what she described as "the politicization of the dispute," saying some politicians were “using children for their own ends” and placing additional pressure on the school and the teacher.
She said the school community deserved support and criticised politicians from right-wing and far-right groups for harassing the teacher.
A protest was held outside the school last week, attended by lawmakers from the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, far-right groups and parents of one pupil, according to reports.
Polish Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś has condemned the incident, saying that "regardless of someone’s beliefs or personal circumstances, such things must not be done."
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP