Manaus kindergartens’ reinforce safety protocols after the tragedy in Blumenau

Mencius Melo – From Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – Hours after the tragic attack that occurred in the city of Blumenau, in Santa Catarina, Manaus nurseries issued notes on the safety of facilities. The communiqués occur before the increase of attacks in schools in Brazil, which, in 2022 and 2023, already exceeds the total registered in the previous 20 years, according to researchers. In a recent study by researcher Michele Prado, from the University of São Paulo’s (USP) Digital Political Debate Monitor, 22 attacks on schools were registered between October 2002 and March 2023.

The kindergartens Alegria do Saber, located in Nossa Senhora das Graças, South-Central Zone, issued a statement announcing new protocols for access to the institution’s premises. Among the security measures are the locking of gates during the entire working hours and the prohibition of conversations by teachers at the entrance of the daycare center. In addition: “No more visitors will be allowed while there are children in the school” and “if you need to talk to the teacher or the director, you will need to go in and talk at the reception desk of the school,” says the statement.

Sought by the report, the board of the Martha Falcão school and the Pinocchio daycare center commented that “The teacher Nelly Falcão, director of the institutions, regrets what happened at the daycare center in Santa Catarina and sympathizes with the families and with the directors, employees and students of the school. She emphasizes that the student community is impacted by the latest cases of violence in the school environment,” she said in a statement. In the text she stressed prevention. “She emphasizes that situations like these call for managers to redouble care with surveillance and security, in addition to actions that focus on the mental and emotional health of students, teachers, and employees of educational institutions,” she opined.

State

Sought by CENARIUM MAGAZINE’s report, the State Department of Education (Seduc) answered, through an advisory, that it keeps security policies vigilant. “The State Secretariat of Education and Sports counts on a support and communication network among the District and Regional Education Coordinators and in an integrated way with the police authorities, when necessary, for the constant monitoring of publications or suspicious actions linked to the educational units of the state education network in the State,” it communicated.

The text further reported that: “Through the Protection, Health and Safety Network, the Secretariat of Education, in partnership with the secretariats of Public Safety (SSP) and Social Assistance (Seas), has acted to follow up on the correct procedures and protocols, such as police patrolling at the entrance and exit of students and social-emotional monitoring with students, among other initiatives, in order to promote awareness and discussions on topics such as safety, violence, education, bullying, and the correct use of social networks,” the note concluded.

Alert!

The Union of Private Schools of Amazonas (Sinepe-AM) issued a note in line with the National Federation of Private Schools (Fenep). In the text, the entity regrets the incident in Blumenal and is in solidarity with the families of the dead and injured children. In the text, the Sinepe-AM communicates that the cases of violence lit a warning in unions, which created a committee that will present, still in April, a national movement for the appreciation of life and school.

Retrospective

One of the most recent cases was that of Elisabete Tenreiro, a 71-year-old teacher who died last Monday, March 27, after being stabbed by a student at the very school where she worked, located in the West Zone of São Paulo. Besides Elisabete, the attack committed by a 13 year old teenager, an 8th grade student, also injured three other female teachers and two other students.

The Tasso da Silveira school, in Rio de Janeiro, stage of one of the largest school attacks in Brazil (Tasso Marcelo/Estadão)

Other episodes that marked the country occurred at the Tasso da Silveira Municipal School, in Realengo, Rio de Janeiro, in April 2011, with 12 fatal victims; and the violent attack, at a children’s school, in Santa Catarina, which took the lives of three children and two employees, in May 2021. Besides the double attack on two teaching units, in Espírito Santo, in November last year, which left three dead and 13 more injured, were other episodes of extreme violence that marked the country.