Violence at school, it's now Wild West: 1 in 10 students have already witnessed a physical or verbal confrontation. Prof in the crosshairs

Violence at school shows no signs of abating: it has only taken two weeks or so of lessons to record the first cases of physical or verbal aggression between students or towards teachers. More than 1 in 10 pupils say they have already witnessed it. This was reported by a survey by Skuola.net, carried out by polling 2,800 middle and high school students, precisely those at the centre of the regulations just approved by Parliament to combat the phenomenon. It also underlines how - an even more alarming fact - in half of the cases among the victims of aggression there are teachers: 6% of those interviewed - out of the total 13% who speak of school violence - state that the bullies' target was a teacher.

The survey took place in the week prior to the final approval of the Valditara Reform and brings to light an already very worrying picture, which is further aggravated by the manner in which these episodes are staged. Because the level of contention seems to have risen. Since, in about one out of every two clashes, words have turned to deeds: among those who report violence at school, 45% claim that the face-to-face did not stop at the verbal level but that hands were also extended.

The dynamics, however, change depending on the school grade. In middle school, it seems that the rate of quarrelsomeness among children is much more palpable. The number of those who have seen or heard of aggressive episodes in their school, among the youngest, triples: it is 29%. The average figure, let us remember, is 13%. While, if we isolate high schools, we stop at 9%.In high schools, however, it is more frequent for violence to be vented in the most censurable way: among the older ones, it is 54% of the students who report fights at school who speak of physical contact between aggressors and victims. The average figure, as seen, drops to 45%; in middle school to 34%. And to think that the situation could have been even worse, if several schools had not decided to put their pupils on their toes, anticipating what was soon to come. Approximately 1 in 4 students, in fact, say that in the first few days of class the content of the reform on conduct and suspensions was explained to them.

However, the fact remains that the climate is becoming increasingly heavy. Leading many students, going somewhat against their own interests, to support the crackdown wanted by the ministry. It is no coincidence that, according to a Skuola.net survey, almost 7 out of 10 students think that restrictive measures can effectively combat the phenomenon: for 27% they could almost eliminate it, for 47% at least reduce it.