A prominent labor union leader is calling for enhanced prevention measures in schools, not just in Austria, but also in Germany, in the wake of a recent school shooting in Graz.
According to Maike Finnern, the chair of the Education and Science Trade Union (GEW), it is essential to strengthen the preventive work in schools, which includes increasing the number of school social workers and school psychologists.
While concepts and emergency plans have been developed in response to past school shootings, such as those in Erfurt in 2002 and Winnenden in 2009, the underlying structures of prevention need to be further developed, Finnern emphasized.
She pointed out that students in distress often have to wait for months to get an appointment, as there is only one school psychologist for thousands of children and youth. Furthermore, the union leader demands more targeted in-service training for teachers and support for schools in general.