Guide for school principals and administrators

Does your school website meet the law? What the authorities check

Romanian state schools and kindergartens are public sector bodies. Their websites must be accessible to people with disabilities, publish public-interest information in a structure set by government decision, and follow personal data rules. The school itself is responsible for these obligations.

Check the website in 10 minutes Fix it through the SEAP catalogue

What the school risks

Accessibility obligations have applied to existing websites since 23 September 2020 (GEO 112/2018, art. 12). Sanctions are administrative offences charged to the institution, with fines expressed in fine points. One fine point equals the national guaranteed minimum gross wage (art. 11(2)).

Inaccessible website

5–10 fine points

Failure to meet the accessibility requirements of art. 3 (GEO 112/2018, art. 11(1)(d)).

No accessibility statement

4–5 fine points

Failure to publish the accessibility statement (art. 11(1)(a)).

Outdated statement

1–2 fine points

The statement must be updated yearly and within 3 days of finding a non-conformity (art. 6(1), art. 11(1)(b)).

Website purchase without accessibility requirements

1–5 fine points

When buying a new website, the specifications must include accessibility requirements (art. 9(3), art. 11(1)(c)).

How a school ends up fined

1. 01

   Complaint or monitoring

   A parent, student or organisation reports a problem, and the school must reply within 30 days (art. 6(5)). The Romanian Digitalisation Authority periodically monitors public institution websites.

2. 02

   Inspection and notice

   Inspectors record the issue and notify the school in writing with a deadline: 30 days for the accessibility statement, 6 months for website non-compliance (art. 10).

3. 03

   Fine

   If the issue is not fixed in time, the fine is applied. Six months is short when a new website has to be planned, budgeted and procured.

Three sets of obligations for a school website

GEO no. 112/2018

Accessibility for people with disabilities

The website must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust (art. 3), meaning it must meet the European standard EN 301 549, which adopts WCAG 2.1 level AA. The ordinance does not exempt schools or kindergartens. The exceptions in art. 1(3) cover only public broadcasters and some non-governmental organisations.

• Accessibility statement published on the website, updated yearly and within 3 days of finding a non-conformity (art. 6(1))
• A way for visitors to report accessibility problems and a link to the enforcement procedure (art. 6(4))
• Replies to complaints within 30 days (art. 6(5))
• Alternative text for images, sufficient contrast, keyboard-only navigation, properly labelled headings and forms
• PDF and Word documents published in accessible formats, not only as scanned images; the art. 1(4) exception covers only older documents
• When buying a website: accessibility requirements included in the specifications (art. 9(3))

Law no. 544/2001 and GD no. 830/2022

Public-interest information in a standard structure

GD 830/2022 replaced the model for structuring information published ex officio. The website must have at least five sections: About the institution, Public-interest information, Decision-making transparency, Contact and Institutional integrity. Posted documents must show the date they were posted.

• About the institution: management, organisation and operating rules, organisation chart, annual activity report
• Public-interest information: responsible person, request and complaint forms, annual Law 544 report (by 30 April)
• Budget from all sources and monthly budget execution, in open formats (.xls, .xlsx, .ods)
• Public procurement: annual plan, quarterly summary and contracts above EUR 5,000
• Asset and interest declarations, with an archive of previous years
• Decision-making transparency, contact, audience hours, petitions, code of ethics and a whistleblowing mechanism

GDPR and Law no. 506/2004

Personal data and cookies

The GD 830/2022 structure requires data protection information in the public-interest section: the data protection officer, the privacy notice and the cookie policy. A school website carries data about minors, so every published photo or list needs a legal basis.

• Contact details of the data protection officer (DPO)
• Privacy notice and cookie policy
• Analytics or marketing cookies only with the visitor’s prior consent (Law 506/2004, art. 4(5))
• Student photos and name lists published only with a legal basis, usually parental consent
• Valid HTTPS, with no forms sending data unencrypted

Check the school website in 10 minutes

If any answer is “no” or “not sure”, the website has at least one non-conformity that an inspection can record.

1. Is there an “Accessibility statement” page dated within the last 12 months?
2. Can you use the menu and forms with the Tab key alone, without a mouse?
3. Do images have alternative text, and are PDFs more than scanned images?
4. Does the menu have the five sections: About, Public-interest information, Decision-making transparency, Contact, Institutional integrity?
5. Are the name of the Law 544/2001 officer and the request form published?
6. Is budget execution updated monthly, as .xls or .ods?
7. Are the annual procurement plan and the quarterly summary published?
8. Are asset and interest declarations published, with an archive?
9. Are there a GDPR privacy notice, a cookie policy and DPO contact details?
10. Does the website load over HTTPS without warnings and display correctly on a phone?

Artificial intelligence for the admin work

Once the website is compliant, AI cuts secretarial work. The assistant answers only from information the school has published and cites the source page for every answer.

• Virtual assistant for parents: enrolment, timetable, scholarships, required documents, office hours
• Assisted drafting for petition replies, the annual Law 544 report and administrative documents
• Archive digitisation with OCR, for searchable documents that can be published in accessible formats
• The assistant does not ask for personal data, and data stays on servers in the European Union

Fix it through a direct purchase from the SEAP catalogue

Every service is an item in the SEAP electronic catalogue of ARTIFICIALLY SRL. Search SEAP by reference number.

ART-HS-02 · CPV 72415000-2

School / public institution website hosting — 12 months, SSL certificate and daily backups included

390 lei / year

ART-HS-01 · CPV 72415000-2

Public institution website hosting, maintenance and security — 12-month plan

990 lei / year

ART-SC-01 · CPV 72413000-8

School / kindergarten website — build, plus 12 months of hosting and maintenance

2.490 lei / item

ART-AI-03 · CPV 72261000-2

AI for administrative documents — memos, tender specifications, petition replies

390 lei / month

ART-AI-01 · CPV 72262000-9

AI virtual assistant (chatbot) for citizens — Start package implementation

19.900 lei / item

ART-AI-04 · CPV 72512000-7

AI archive digitisation — OCR, indexing and search (10,000 pages)

9.900 lei / package

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does GEO 112/2018 apply to schools and kindergartens?

Yes. The ordinance applies to public sector bodies, and state schools and kindergartens are public sector bodies. The exceptions in art. 1(3) cover only public broadcasting services and some non-governmental organisations.

Who inspects, and who pays the fine?

Inspections are carried out by the Romanian Digitalisation Authority, successor to the Romanian Digital Agenda Agency named in the ordinance. The fine is charged to the institution, after a written notice with a deadline to fix the issue.

How much is a fine point?

Under art. 11(2) of GEO 112/2018, one fine point equals the national guaranteed minimum gross wage on the date the offence is recorded. For an inaccessible website the fine is 5 to 10 fine points.

Our website is a few years old. Does it need rebuilding?

Not necessarily. Sometimes fixes are enough: contrast, alternative text, keyboard navigation, the accessibility statement, and reorganising the menu per GD 830/2022. If the platform cannot support those fixes, a new website costs less than the repairs.

Can we buy without a tender?

Yes. SEAP catalogue items are bought through direct purchase, within the legal thresholds. We confirm orders within one working day and invoice through e-Factura.

What goes in the specifications if we run our own procurement?

At minimum: compliance with EN 301 549 (WCAG 2.1 level AA), an accessibility statement, a CMS that supports publishing accessible content, training for the staff who update the website, and the GD 830/2022 section structure. These match art. 9(3) of GEO 112/2018.

This guide gives general information based on the texts of GEO no. 112/2018, Law no. 544/2001, GD no. 830/2022, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Law no. 506/2004, and is not legal advice. The laws in force are available at legislatie.just.ro.

Not sure whether your school website is compliant?

Email us from your institutional address and we will tell you what needs fixing and which SEAP catalogue item fits.