La Spezia, 8 June 2024 – Last day of school with a bang at the “Fossati Da Passano” institute in La Spezia. The boys in fact yesterday morning they were stopped at the school entrance and asked to open their backpacks. A second block then went off once they entered the lobby. No one was allowed to bring to class backpacks and bags. An operation announced with a circular the previous day and then applied with great disappointment on the part of the students who did not understand the reasons for the severity.
To express amazement at the operation it was the provincial consultation student who spoke of a “serious violation of student rights”. The school is the seat of the polling station and it is probable that the headmistress feared that someone might bring dangerous objects to school or, in the most playful hypothesis, as it was the last day of lessons, bottles of alcohol were brought from home to celebrate the arrival of the vacation. These are hypotheses because it was not possible to speak to the school director. But in circular number 307 delivered to students and teachers, the reasons for the provision are not specified. Many kids followed it to the letter, arriving at school without bags, while others were stopped at the main entrance by a teacher and then asked to leave their backpacks in the hall before going up to the classrooms.
“The students they expressed their dissent – continue the representatives of the Consulta – but they had no choice: anyone who refused to open their backpack was denied entry to school. This practice was perceived as a violation of privacy and an act of abuse of power. Furthermore, on the first floor of the school building, there were teachers and school collaborators present who kidnapped all backpacks to students. Anyone who didn’t hand in their backpack couldn’t enter the classroom, making it impossible to participate in lessons. This measure aroused strong indignation and created a climate of tension and unease.”
No explanation was then given to the boys. “These measures – they conclude – were imposed by the school director. However, such behaviors are not acceptable and should not be adopted under any circumstances. The school and teachers have no right or obligation to force students to open their backpacks. If there had been a well-founded suspicion or a real need, they should have involved the police, who are the only competent authorities to carry out such inspections.” At the end of the lessons great confusion to recover the bags and backpacks, many of which are in current fashion from the same brand and very similar in colour.
