It sounds unbelievable, but it is sadly true: there is now a guard at a primary school in Berlin.
But the guard is not there to protect the children from strangers who want to enter into the grounds for nefarious reasons, but rather because violence has been a commonplace occurence for six to twelve-year-olds.
At the school, which has a 99 percent migrant population, teachers and children are attacked frequently. The school environment has become so violence prone that security guards need to be present from 7:30am until 4:00pm to maintain order.
“Within the past year, violence has increased so much that we now have to take this measure”, headmistress of the school, Doris Unzeit, told Germany’s Bild newspaper.
The children are not only attacking each other but also attacking teachers. Especially dramatic has been parents attacking young students when their own child has trouble.
The headmistress added: “The security service should ensure that everyday school life for the children can proceed without disruption and violence. That’s very important.”
According to the school’s inspectorate, there were more than 30 violent incidents between children, teachers and even parents last year.
The security costs for the school are mounting too, with 1 719 euros being spent on keeping individuals from attacking each other every week.
Headmistress Unzeit hopes the city council will pay for the school’s security after a successful “test phase”.
Parents are divided about this measure. A mother says she thinks the security service is good. A father, however, criticized the concept: “I do not think it’s good that I have to ask extra security, if I may to my daughter. It feels like being in jail.”