Clear procedures for resolving cases of violence in schools

Violence in schools remains a significant issue. Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, stated at a debate attended by over 20 representatives of students, teachers, parents, civil society, and partner institutions that preventing and combating violence in the school environment is a priority of her mandate. The Ministry of Education organized a consultation regarding the Procedure for Managing Cases of Violence against preschoolers/pupils and school staff, as well as other related situations in the school environment and suspicions of violence against children outside the school environment. The purpose of the discussion was to analyze the observations and proposals received during the public consultation period, which started on July 19th, regarding the working methods, applicable rules, and the responsibilities of individuals involved in managing cases of violence, as well as in handling other related situations. Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, declared: "Preventing and combating violence in the school environment are priorities of my mandate. I was pleased with the enthusiasm with which this procedure was received by students, teachers, parents, and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Everyone present at today's consultation appreciated our efforts and the initiative to gather all the steps to be taken in the process of managing a case of school violence into a single document. This way, we have an easily traceable path, which allows for quick and coordinated intervention." During the discussions, most of the representatives of the present organizations emphasized the importance of informing, training, and providing long-term support to education personnel regarding the implementation of this procedure. The Ministry of Education mentioned that they are working on thematic informative materials and will ask subordinate structures to initiate informative and collaborative meetings with partner institutions at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. The procedure initiated and proposed by the Ministry of Education covers: acts of violence (both mild and severe) among preschoolers/pupils committed in the school environment; acts of violence against preschoolers/pupils committed by members of the educational institution staff in the school environment; acts of violence against educational institution staff committed by pupils in the school environment; related situations: suspicion of carrying or using dangerous objects without authorization; suspicion of involvement in other offenses (theft, robbery); suspicion of consuming psychoactive substances; suspicions of violence committed against children outside the school environment.