Likewise, the Thuringian education law was caught in the crossfire of criticism. Since Steinhäuser was already of legal age, the school administration was of the opinion to not inform his parents about his expulsion from the school (which, as the investigation committee later discovered, was illegal). So the parents did not realize that their son who was leaving the house every day, did not go to school anymore. In addition, there were at this time, in contrast to most other states, no exams or automatic awarding of the middle school certificate (Realschulabschluss) after the 10th grade of the Gymnasium. Pupils who did not pass the A-Levels therefore did not have a school certificate and therefore had hardly any job prospects. In response to the shooting, high school students were able to take an exam at the end of year 10 at their own request. Since 2004, this exam is mandatory as a special performance assessment for all Thuringian high school students.