Ponticelli, a school without bathrooms, mothers protesting: "This is how the state abandons suburban children."

Naples – A school "occupied" out of desperation. This is the decision of a group of mothers from the Eduardo De Filippo Comprehensive Institute in the Ponticelli neighborhood of Naples, who slept inside the school building overnight.

An extreme gesture to denounce the school's closure for almost a month: from here, on December 19th, 350 students – including 35 with severe disabilities – have not set foot in the school because all the bathrooms are out of order.

The protest and the appeal to the minister

"We need to restore dignity to the children of this neighborhood," explain the protesting mothers. "We are facing the hardships of the occupation to protect our children. School is the foundation of everything." They are joined by the teaching staff, who in a heartfelt and public letter addressed the Minister of Education, Giuseppe Valditara. This is not just a simple warning, but "an appeal born of urgency and exasperation."

The teachers emphasize that they work "in one of the most fragile contexts in the Neapolitan suburbs," where schools represent "the only stable presence of the state, the last bastion against marginalization and crime." And they proudly recall a milestone achieved despite everything: "In the last three years, we have managed to eliminate school dropouts."

The paradox of the ghost building

Making the situation "paradoxical and serious," as the teachers write, is the presence, in the same building divided by a corridor, of a twin building. Renovated with €1,2 million in National Recovery and Resilience Plan funds, it was completed over a year ago, equipped with new classrooms and bathrooms, but was never handed over to the school. "The first floor is formally designated for us, but it hasn't been handed over," they complain. Meanwhile, students remain at home or attend classrooms with damp and deteriorating plaster.

City manager Concetta Stramacchia had reported the serious plumbing problems back in November. City Councilor Maura Striano assured: "I'm following the situation; there was an initial intervention, but other issues have emerged. Our commitment is to find the resources for a second intervention." As for the renovated building, "after the inspection, we will evaluate whether it will be temporarily available."

“Here the State risks abdicating”

The teachers' letter is a clear indictment: "We are not facing an unforeseeable emergency, but the consequences of administrative inertia." They also issue a warning: "At Conocal Park, the state risks abdicating. We have built relationships and trust by staying on the ground when it would have been easier to leave. Now, irresponsible decisions are dismantling this work."

They are calling for the "instant assignment" of the already available spaces and the restoration of the historic complex to full functionality. They conclude with a direct invitation to the minister: "We invite you to come and see for yourself. We will continue teaching as an act of civil resistance, but we will not be silent accomplices in this dismantling."