Castellammare. Amidst a tense atmosphere, the Catello Salvati middle school in the Scanzano neighborhood reopened this morning, after a group of parents attacked a special education teacher last Thursday.
Carabinieri and police patrolled the exterior of the building, as requested by the principal to ensure the safety of lessons. School The school was therefore closed, while mothers accusing the teacher of harassing some children displayed two banners on the gates: "Yes to teachers, no to management" and "Protection for our children, solidarity with mothers."
Many students were absent, demonstrating the impact of the incident. After the students returned to school, some mothers stopped to speak to reporters, reiterating their accusations. Testimonies about alleged compromising chats involving the teacher overlapped and contradicted each other.
"We tried to contact someone to make our voices heard, but we never got a response because they consider us 'gangsters'," explains a mother. "There's no doubt that the beatings were a serious incident, but when there's doubt, you can't cover it up."
Teresa Esposito, the school's director, denies the existence of a chat or audio recordings with explicit references to sexual organs: "Mothers are just lying." She then reveals that she hasn't spoken to the teacher, who is out of school due to a head injury, and won't do so while the investigation is ongoing. "What I can say is that the school knew nothing," she says.
No trace was found on social media or telephones by investigators.
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The only certainty, for now, is the beating of the special education teacher, who ended up in the hospital with a 30-day prognosis for head trauma, while the father remains hospitalized in the orthopedic ward for a fractured wrist that will require surgery.
Some mothers are distancing themselves from the reports because they have never seen videos or chats that attest to the alleged harassment. Two sides are arguing for and against the existence of the "evidence," which is currently being investigated by the Carabinieri of Castellammare di Stabia, but which has so far yielded no concrete evidence.
Meanwhile, the police are also investigating the climate of hostility toward the teacher, who caught a boy smoking in the restrooms, leading to her suspension. The principal, Donatella Ambrosio, declined to meet with reporters. Her deputy, Teresa Esposito, reiterated that she had no knowledge of any compromising chats involving the teacher, with whom no one has spoken since the attack.
"Let's leave her alone," Esposito stated, "she's in shock. Now the investigation must shed light on the situation." The entire day was then dedicated to the internal investigation by the Campania Regional School Office, with inspectors interviewing teachers and administrators.
"I, too, had my doubts about that teacher when the mothers told me about the dubious comments in the chats," says school board president Roberta Cammarota, "but when I asked if I could listen to those chats, they said 'in due time'... so I don't know what to say. In this neighborhood, the majority are normal, decent people. She didn't deserve to end up exposed to the media like this."
Comments (1)
It's a complicated situation, there are many points of view and each one has its own truth. Mothers say serious things but it's also true that there is no clear evidence. The school must clarify and listen to all sides, otherwise there is the risk of creating further confusion.