Throat emails in schools: high school exams in danger!

Throat emails in schools: high school exams in danger!

In Germany, current bomb threats in schools provide great concern. Abitur exams run in parallel, while a series of threatening emails falls down to the headmaster of the Republic. In Baden-Württemberg alone, 180 of the same time were received. In Rhineland-Palatinate, too, at least 50 schools reported on threat letters, while Thuringia reported 36 affected schools. In Brandenburg and Berlin, 22 and 13 schools reported corresponding threatmails. The Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office estimates that a “lower three-digit number” of threatening emails has been received in the past few days. However, the police have so far not found any indications of specific dangers, said a police spokesman.

The investigators suspect that it is a nationwide campaign that may be directly related to the high school exams taking place at the same time. The similar content of the emails should indicate a targeted campaign. In addition, a large number of educational institutions in Austria have received over 50 threatening letters in the past few days, which increases this worrying wave of threats.

nationwide investigation

Due to the concerned situation, extensive investigations are initiated. Experts assume that the current threatening mails are part of a larger, nationwide phenomenon. According to [Spiegel], such threats against educational institutions are not new. They are not only an important problem worldwide in Germany. In 2022 and 2023, more than 6,000 attacks on educational institutions were registered worldwide, which affects pupils, teachers and school buildings. These attacks range from military staff to recruits from children to targeted attacks on girls to deny their access to education.

The United Nations declared September 9 to the International Day to Protect Education from Attack in order to draw attention to the emergency of millions of children in countries affected by conflict. The aim is to protect the right to education that is laid down as a human right in Article 26 of the General Declaration of Human Rights and to create including educational institutions worldwide. United Nations' global sustainability goals are calling for safe educational locations for all children by 2030.

The current threatening wave in schools not only ensures uncertainty among students and teachers, it also raises questions about the security measures and the protection of the educational system. The connection with the ongoing Abitur exams could increase urgency to take unmistakable measures in order to ensure security in schools and to prevent such incidents in the future.