Toilet paper on fire, towel racks on fire and seven students injured in a school toilet fire.
There have been seven cases of arson in Würzburg schools in the past two years. And thus so many in such a short time as never before.
According to Judith Roth-Jörg, school mayor of Würzburg, there are also numerous other cases and forms of vandalism by schoolchildren. For example, worn doors, broken sinks and walls smeared with pens and excrement.
All classes and school types affected
The damage runs through all age groups and school types. Starting with six-year-old elementary school students, right through to young high school students.
According to the city, most cases of vandalism happen at junior high schools and high schools – namely more than half. Very few at special schools.
The mayor sees one reason for the massive increase in social media and platforms like TikTok. Challenges such as sawing chairs with strings, which were very common during the pandemic, but also instructions on how to start a fire in school toilets encourage children and young people to imitate them.
The city and the police go to the schools
In response, the city spoke to the school management and also exchanged ideas with the students. They then expressed the wish that vandalism be addressed openly in the schools.
For this reason, the city and the police want to comply with this request in the next few months and go to schools to talk to the children and young people about the topic and possible solutions.
At the same time, a letter will be sent to all parents at the beginning of the coming school year, in which the city will point out that any damage to city school property will be invoiced in future.
Fewer cases in the counties
Schools in the districts of Kitzingen and Main-Spessart also report cases of vandalism. However, there is no big problem here, but rather a few isolated cases.
#Würzburg #vandalism #schools
