Experts debate who is to blame for student attack on teacher

This Monday morning (28), a 13-year-old teenager stabbed a teacher to death and injured four other people at the Thomazia Montoro State School, located in the west zone of São Paulo. The victim, identified as Elisabeth Tenreiro, was 71 years old.

In an interview with CNN three experts discussed responsibility for the attack and measures to be taken to prevent future incidents.

“The theme of aggression in schools transcends quick and simple explanations. Every human choice, every human behavior is the result of many factors”, said Daniel Barros, psychiatry coordinator at Hospital das Clínicas, explaining that there is no causal factor for this type of occurrence, but several associated factors.

“One thing seems to be common to all the cases: almost all of them had previous warnings. That is, not all who threaten do, but almost all who do, threaten. We need to start taking these threats more seriously.”

Raquel Gallinati, delegate and director of the Association of Police Delegates of Brazil, highlighted the importance of public policies to deal with events of this kind. “We perceive a lack of public policies and courageous measures so that we can curb actions even before the tragedies and massacres”, she declared.

The pedagogue and CEO of Nova Escola Ana Lígia Scachetti pointed out that it is very difficult to pinpoint direct causes, but there are collective social responsibilities. “It is very difficult to point out those responsible, but there is a responsibility that belongs to society as a whole: looking at children and adolescents, and understanding, not only what the school needs to do for them, but also what the families, what every world can do.”

She cited research that claims there is an increase in violence within schools after the return of classes after social isolation, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “We need to remember that these children and adolescents spent two years practically without social interaction, and the school is an environment that requires a lot of exchange, requires a lot of dialogue, a lot of collaboration. Certain feelings that were left there, that were not properly developed in these children and adolescents, certain behaviors, end up inappropriately emerging.”

For Delegate Gallinati, “the basic security screening must be implemented in schools” in the name of keeping teaching places protected.

After the occurrence, for doctor Daniel Barros, it is essential to offer shelter to the victims of the attack: students, employees, teachers and families who witnessed the incident or who are connected to the school in some way. “The most effective thing at this time is welcoming and transmitting a sense of security. To restore in these children, in these young people, in these teenagers, the feeling that they are cared for and that society is with them”, he said.

“In addition to welcoming, we can have collective reflections, agreements, agreements, training for teachers, students, families, spaces for everyone to think together about what this [o ataque] means”, said pedagogue Ana Lígia Scachetti.