A foreign-language teacher, stabbed in Trescore Balneario, is in a critical condition in hospital following the latest act of violence to strike Italy’s schools.
A 57-year-old female teacher is in intensive care after being stabbed outside a school in Trescore Balneario, near Bergamo, early on Wednesday morning. The suspect is a 13-year-old eighth-grade student. A helicopter airlifted the woman, a foreign-language teacher, to hospital in Bergamo by helicopter, where she remains in a critical condition.
The attack is the latest in a deepening pattern of violence in Italian schools. In January, 18-year-old student Abanoud Youssef died after being stabbed by a fellow pupil at a high school in La Spezia. Schools have also seen attacks by pupils on teachers and other students, and in some cases, assaults on teachers by parents.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said the Trescore Balneario incident underlined the urgent need to fast-track government measures targeting juvenile violence. Among the proposals is a ban on minors buying or carrying knives with blades longer than five centimetres.
“What happened at the Trescore Balneario Comprehensive School is a deeply shocking incident,” Valditara said. “First and foremost, I express my deepest sympathy to the teacher, her family, and the school.”
The minister was unambiguous about the policy response he believes is required. “This incident demonstrates the urgent need to swiftly approve the new, stringent regulations drafted by the government to combat juvenile crime and, in particular, the spread of unauthorised weapons among young people,” he said.
Valditara added that legislative action needed to go hand in hand with broader educational and pastoral initiatives already under way. These include programmes focused on conduct, respect, and dedicated psychological support in schools.
