The Phenomenon of Violence in Schools

However, this terrifying reality has long since ceased to be a phenomenon limited to the United States. Tragedies of this kind are occurring with increasing frequency in Europe as well, and, unfortunately, Slovakia is no exception.

Life Is at Stake at School

Slovakia was recently shaken by an incomprehensible incident that took place on the morning of Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at an elementary school in Staškov, in the Kysuce region.

A mere 13-year-old eighth-grader attacked those around him with a knife [13,19]. While the town’s residents heard only the frightened screams of children coming from the school grounds, a real struggle for life was unfolding inside the building [5,19].

The consequences of this rampage were utterly fatal and extraordinarily tragic. A 61-year-old teacher did not survive the attack, while another 44-year-old woman suffered stab wounds to the chest and was airlifted to Žilina [13,19]. Paramedics also transported a child in critical condition to the hospital in Martin [13,19].

The police immediately began investigating this violent crime and managed to bring the situation under control. The school principal’s quick-thinking and heroic actions even prevented an even greater tragedy [5,17].

The ministers of the interior, health, and education also immediately headed to the scene and promised the school the utmost professional support [13].

This Is Not the First Time

Although the incident in Staškov is shocking, our history shows that Slovak schools have already experienced similar horrors in the recent past. The very first murder at one of our schools took place on June 11, 2020, at the United School in Vrútky [5,20]. A 22-year-old former student broke in, fatally stabbed the vice principal—who was protecting the students—and injured several other people before the police shot and killed him [5,20].

Another horrific tragedy occurred just recently, on January 16, 2025, at a high school in Spišská Stará Ves. An 18-year-old student fatally injured the assistant principal and an 18-year-old female student there [5,20,16]. Police apprehended the suspect after he fled, and a court subsequently remanded him into custody [20].

There are also known cases where a tragedy was prevented or did not result in fatalities. More than two years ago at a vocational high school in Nováky, a 16-year-old boy attacked his classmates with an axe, but the students and teachers managed to lock themselves in their classrooms [20].

A 14-year-old boy in Mníšek nad Hnilcom also had a terrifying plan: he wanted to kill nine classmates with an axe, but a teacher thwarted his plan in time [20].

Germany, Finland, the Czech Republic...

If we look beyond our borders, statistics show that in Europe, the highest number of mass attacks in schools has been recorded in Germany and Finland [1].

In Germany, the 2002 Erfurt massacre went down in history, for example, when an expelled student shot and killed 16 people before committing suicide [1,11,15].

The attack in Winnenden in 2009 ended just as tragically, claiming 15 innocent victims [11,15].

Finland, in turn, experienced bloody incidents in the towns of Tuusula and Kauhajoki in 2007 and 2008, where 18-year-old youths took the lives of a total of 18 people [11,15]. Just recently, in April 2024, a student as young as 12 opened fire at a Finnish school in the city of Vantaa. This boy, who had been a victim of bullying, fatally wounded his classmate [15].

Unfortunately, mass attacks do not spare Slavic countries either. A horrific shooting at the Faculty of Philosophy of Charles University in Prague in December 2023 left 15 people dead, including the 24-year-old student who carried out the attack [11,15].

In Belgrade, Serbia, in May 2023, a 13-year-old boy shot and killed nine people, eight of whom were children [11,15].

The U.S. Case

While these events always shock us in Europe, in the United States they have taken on entirely different, even epidemic, proportions. The K-12 Shooting database has been tracking incidents since 1966, when “only” nine shootings were recorded annually [14].

However, 2022 set a record with 349 incidents, and the very next year, with 327 incidents, was the second-worst on record [14].

The situation in the U.S., where there are roughly 130,000 schools, is so serious that gun violence is currently the leading cause of death among children there [14]. While in the 1960s children most often died in car accidents, Americans today live in a dangerous “age of guns” [14].

In just one recent year, these guns claimed a record 273 lives in American schools [14].

Why?

What actually drives a young person to commit such a heinous and irreversible act? Research from the U.S. shows that as many as 61% of perpetrators sought revenge, and 34% intended to resolve a specific problem through the attack [1].

Surprisingly and tragically, 27% of them acted out of a deep sense of despair and intended to commit what is known as “extended suicide” [1].

In the European context, the most common motives are bullying, a lack of concern from those around them, and the attackers’ desire to draw attention to themselves [15]. Experts point out that long-standing unresolved conflicts and an extremely toxic classroom environment lead directly to violence that children inflict upon one another [12].

Expulsion from school itself has also been a major trigger for many tragedies, as was seen in The Hague, Netherlands, and Erfurt, Germany [11,15].

The role of bullying and cyberbullying in these tragedies cannot be underestimated under any circumstances. Statistics show that one in five shooters who commit suicide at the scene of the crime was demonstrably a victim of bullying during their school years [1].

It is precisely exclusion from the group and a sense of isolation that create enormous psychological pressure in children, which can lead to destructive behavior [8,15].

A tragic reminder of the consequences of bullying in Slovakia is the case of a 15-year-old boy from Parchovany who jumped from the roof of his school in November 2023. According to his father, bullying by his peers was the cause of this tragedy [5].

The most horrifying aspect of this case is that some of his classmates filmed the boy’s fall on their phones and even encouraged him to jump [5].

Experts unanimously agree that extreme violence does not occur overnight without any warning signs.

As many as 95% of perpetrators developed the idea of harming someone gradually and over a long period of time [1]. It is striking that 81% of them even described their intent and plan for the attack to at least one person, most often a sibling or close friend [1].

Warning Signs

Warning signs of mental distress can be divided into several categories, primarily involving noticeable changes in behavior and mood. It is important to take notice if a previously stable child loses interest in their favorite hobbies, stops communicating, and isolates themselves from those around them [6,8,9].

The period leading up to an episode is very often accompanied by a sudden decline in academic performance and a complete loss of interest in school [1,6].

Another very dangerous sign is a disruption in basic biological needs, such as severe problems with sleep or eating. Children may suffer from nightmares, overeat, or, conversely, refuse to eat [7,8,18].

These changes often manifest physically as well, with children repeatedly complaining of headaches or stomachaches without any apparent medical cause [10,18].

The most critical sign, which should never be overlooked, is deliberate self-harm and talk of utter hopelessness [8]. If you notice unexplained wounds or burns on a child, see them covering their body with long sleeves even in the summer, or hear them frequently talking about death, this is an alarming situation [2,8,18].

Many parents only realize in hindsight, with tears in their eyes, that the warning signs were there, but they were unable to recognize them in time or interpret them correctly [8].

What is the best form of prevention?

While American schools are turning into impregnable fortresses in response to these attacks, the European approach is based primarily on prevention. In the U.S., principals routinely install bulletproof windows, erect high fences, and in 15 states, teachers are even permitted to carry weapons directly in classrooms [14].

In Slovakia, meanwhile, the Ministry of Education is currently drafting a law that would allow principals to inspect a student’s backpack or locker in the event of a security risk [16].

However, according to experts, the real key to putting a long-term stop to this phenomenon lies in consistent prevention and active work with the school community. At the European level, for example, there is the excellent SUPERTRIEDA project, which has been recognized as the best school-based social project against bullying in the EU [12].

Experts consider this method to be the most versatile and effective for building healthy relationships in the classroom [12].

The cornerstone of successful prevention must be the creation of an atmosphere of absolute trust between teachers and their students. Students must not be afraid to speak openly about their problems with bullying, and the school must always provide them with a safe environment for such discussions [4,9].

According to psychologists, regular and honest communication between the school, the family, and the children is literally irreplaceable in the timely resolution of problems that could otherwise lead to further tragedies [3,13].

List of References

[1] A study on school shootings in the U.S. states that 81% of perpetrators disclosed their intentions to at least one person - Mental Health - Health - pravda.sk https://www.pravda.sk/zdravie/mental-health/article/694394-a-study-on-school-shootings-in-the-us-claims-that-81-of-the-attackers-revealed-their-intentions-to-at-least-one-person

[2] Psychology (in) School. Proceedings from an international scientific conference 9788022334839 - DOKUMEN.PUB https://dokumen.pub/psychologia-v-kole-zbornik-prispevkov-z-medzinarodnej-vedeckej-konferencie-9788022334839.html

[3] Kolář, M. (2005). The Pain of Bullying: A Path to Ending the Epidemic of Bullying in Schools. 2nd ed., Prague: Portál. 255 pp. ISBN 80-7367-014-3.

[4] Emmerová, I. (2006). Causes of Bullying and Prevention Strategies in the School Environment. In: Youth and Society, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 29–30.

[5] Overview of Attacks and Incidents at Schools | Noviny.sk https://www.noviny.sk/krimi/1069375-prehlad-utokov-a-incidentov-na-skolach

[6] informational-text-for-parents-warning-signs.pdf https://www.frengp.cz/media/oh2pa3x3/informa%C4%8Dn%C3%AD-text-pro-rodi%C4%8De-varovn%C3%A9-sign%C3%A1ly.pdf

[7] Even children can have serious mental health problems https://sancedetem.cz/i-deti-mohou-mit-vazne-psychicke-problemy-jak-je-poznat

[8] Warning Signs of Mental Health Issues in Children – HANG IN THERE! You Are Not Alone. https://www.vydrz.cz/2026/03/23/5-signalu-kere-bycho-nemeli-opomijet

[9] Warning Signs of Mental Instability in Children | Domestic Affairs and Society https://www.vietnam.vn/cs/canh-bao-nhung-dau-hieu-bat-on-tam-ly-o-tre-noi-vu-va-xa-hoi

[10] How to Tell If a Child Is Struggling: Warning Signs of Mental Health Problems https://www.nn.cz/blog/male-deti-mluvi-telem.html

[11] School shootings are not rare in Europe. See the chronology of attacks since 2000 | ta3 https://www.ta3.com/article/916712/school-shootings-are-not-isolated-incidents-in-europe-see-a-chronology-of-attacks-since-2000

[12] Catalog of Innovations in Education and Training https://www.minedu.sk/data/att/9cf/34101.053c13.html

[13] ONLINE: One Teacher Died After a Student’s Attack in Staškov; the Child Is in Critical Condition | Noviny.sk https://www.noviny.sk/krimi/1265424-student-attacked-at-elementary-school-classmates-and-teacher-were-targeted

[14] Armed Teachers or Escape Drills: How Schools in the U.S. Defend Themselves Against Shooters - Seznam Zprávy https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/article/international-armed-teachers-or-escape-drills-how-schools-in-the-us-defend-themselves-against-shooters-266834

[15] There have been shootings at schools in Europe in the past. Even former students have carried out attacks https://www.noviny.sk/zahranicie/1071131-na-skolach-v-europe-sa-strielalo-aj-v-minulosti-utocili-aj-byvali-ziaci

[16] Tragic attacks are changing the rules at schools. Students’ backpacks and lockers will no longer be off-limits | ta3 https://www.ta3.com/article/1068923/tragic-attacks-change-school-rules-students-backpacks-and-lockers-will-no-longer-be-off-limits

[17] A bear mauled an elderly woman (84) and attacked two other people, including a 12-year-old student! Witnesses described the moments of terror https://topky.sk/cl/11/9215011/Medved-roztrhal-starenku----84--and-attacked-two-more-people--including-a-student--12---Witnesses-described-the-moments-of-horror

[18] Warning Signs - Don’t Give Up Hope https://nevypustdusi.cz/poslouchejme-deti/varovne-signaly

[19] Residents of Staškov described the moments after the attack: We could only hear the children screaming. They were terrified https://www.noviny.sk/krimi/1265554-obyvatelia-staskova-opisali-chvile-po-utoku-poculi-sme-len-deti-ako-kricia

[20] Slovakia has not been spared from attacks on schools either. These tragedies have occurred in the past https://www.noviny.sk/slovensko/1071204-ani-slovensko-sa-nevyhlo-utokom-na-skolach-k-tymto-tragediam-doslo-v-minulosti