A wave of violence has swept through educational institutions in La Plata and the Buenos Aires province, reaching alarming levels in 2025. In just the last few months, at least a dozen serious incidents have been recorded. On November 5th, a former student burst onto the grounds of the Rafael Hernández National College and attacked students and staff. Days earlier, at the Normal Nº 2 high school, a supervisor was beaten and stitched up after trying to separate fighting students, leading to union protests. Instead of dialoguing or taking responsibility for their children's behavior, several parents joined in the students' nervousness, who remained euphoric and aggressive. In response to the magnitude of the altercation, school authorities notified the parents of those involved to come and pick up their children, a protocolized measure to guarantee everyone's safety. However, the arrival of family members did not bring calm, but a greater explosion of violence. In Mar del Plata, a case of alleged school abuse culminated in vandalism to the building and the arson of the home of the alleged perpetrator, with parents taking justice into their own hands. Education experts attribute this surge to a combination of factors: the post-pandemic lag in socio-emotional skills, budgetary constraints that limit the hiring of counselors, and a legislative void in effective sanctions. What followed was an avalanche of collective violence: punches and kicks against educators, hair-pulling that dragged some to the ground, and the throwing of chairs and desks that destroyed part of the school furniture. Some parents, uninvolved in the initial conflict, demanded the reopening of classes, although the majority expressed solidarity with the injured staff and concern for the deterioration of school coexistence. In José C. Paz, two mothers got into a fistfight in the playground of a primary school, extending the conflict of their children into the adult realm. The teaching team, composed of vice-principals, supervisors, and support staff, managed with difficulty to separate the minors, but the tension did not subside. Classes were immediately suspended in the afternoon shift, and the measure was extended until further notice, leaving dozens of families in suspense. Meanwhile, the director remains on medical leave, and the case is already in the hands of the La Plata Instructional Fiscal Unit Nº 10, which is investigating the injuries and possible crimes of minor injuries and coercion. Neighbors and uninvolved parents are organizing an assembly for this Thursday, with the aim of pressuring district authorities for reinforcements in the staff and preventive workshops. The district inspector, for her part, authorized the temporary suspension of activities, but insisted that the return would depend on safety guarantees, possibly with permanent police presence. This event is not isolated in the recent history of School Nº 80, a public institution with more than 300 students that serves elementary school children in a lower-middle-class neighborhood, where social and economic tensions filter into the educational environment. "It was impossible to intervene without exposing ourselves; the kids were out of control, and in the attempt to separate them, we ended up receiving some impacts," recounted one of the teachers involved, who preferred to maintain her identity in reserve for fear of reprisals. Just two weeks ago, a similar confrontation between female students escalated to uncontrollable blows, requiring a similar intervention from the staff. The General Director of Culture and Education of Buenos Aires, Alberto Sileoni, downplayed the magnitude by stating that "there is no pandemic of violence," but teacher unions such as the Bonaerense Teachers' Unity Front (FUDB) have called for strikes and marches to demand urgent measures, including greater investment in security and conflict resolution training. In City Bell, the educational community clamors for immediate solutions. The incident, which began as a fight between students during the morning recess, quickly escalated into chaos in the schoolyard, with blows, insults, and thrown objects that left the educational staff overwhelmed and shocked. It all started around 10 a.m., during the second morning recess. They called an ambulance because they knew her health condition put her at risk," described another eyewitness, an auxiliary who ended up with bruises on her arms. Local police intervened minutes later, alerted by the school itself, and cordoned off the perimeter to prevent further confrontations. This episode, far from being an isolated incident, calls into question the role of the school as a refuge for learning and exposes the cracks in a besieged educational system. The director, in an attempt to mediate and restore order, received a direct blow to her right leg, which caused a varicose vein to tear and a bleeding wound that required immediate attention. "This cannot continue; my children no longer want to come out of fear," confessed a mother of a fifth-grade student, who chose not to send her son the next day. A serious episode of violence erupted this Wednesday at Primary School Nº 80, located in the Savoia neighborhood of City Bell, on the outskirts of La Plata, when a group of parents and students brutally attacked teachers and school administrators. However, the most alarming precedent dates back to September 23, 2024, when seven senior students ambushed a 10-year-old girl during recess. The school principal was seriously injured in a leg and had to be taken by ambulance to a medical center, where she remains under observation for complications from a compromised varicose vein. The victim, a fourth-grade student, suffered multiple trauma, cuts to the face and scalp, and was urgently admitted to the San Roque Hospital in Gonnet. "Before, there were real consequences for bad behavior; today, the kids know they can get away with it," warned a supervisor at Normal Nº 2 in a recent interview. "We saw her fall and bleed; it was heartbreaking."
