Teacher’s death in Thessaloniki: Prosecutorial investigation after allegations of bullying

A preliminary investigation was ordered by the Thessaloniki Court of Appeal Prosecutor’s Office regarding the case of the teacher who died last Saturday after a hemorrhagic stroke and who in the previous period had reported that she had been the victim of bullying by a group of students at the public school where she taught.

Specifically, the order was given by the head of the Thessaloniki Court of Appeal Prosecutor’s Office, Leonidas Nikolopoulos, based on media reports that came to light as well as on the report that the teacher is said to have submitted to the competent educational directorates and services, requesting their immediate intervention in order for the situation she was experiencing to be resolved.

Information indicates that the investigation will mainly focus on offenses prosecuted ex officio.

The teacher had been referred to a medical committee — a referral which, according to the legal representative of her family, was based on certain complaints by students of the school that she did not behave properly, without a disciplinary investigation having preceded it.

In a three-page report she drafted, she is said to have reported incidents of bullying that she was experiencing from specific students inside the classroom during teaching hours.

Listing specific dates and times, she mentioned — among other things — an incident in which, while she was writing on the board, they threw a full bottle of water at her back, as well as a heavy book. In the same report she appears to have requested the adoption of security measures, such as the presence of police officers and X-ray machines at the school.

What the School’s Parents’ Association Says

In contrast, the school’s Parents’ Association speaks of the “public targeting” of students and their families and threatens to file lawsuits.

Specifically, in its announcement it states that claims and comments are being circulated “that attempt to attribute responsibility for this tragic event to students, parents and members of the community, without any substantiation whatsoever, leading to the unjustified public targeting of underage students, their families and teachers.”

According to the Parents’ Association, “the restoration of the truth and the attribution of responsibilities can only take place through the appropriate institutional procedures and not through public and false accusations.”

They also warn that “in case the dissemination of false, unsubstantiated and defamatory claims that harm the personality and dignity of the students and their families continues, they reserve the right to exercise every legal right before the competent authorities.”

It is noted that the school belongs to the Directorate of Secondary Education of Eastern Thessaloniki, about which, according to information from NEWS 24/7, there are frequent complaints.

After what came to light publicly, the Minister of Education, Sofia Zacharaki, ordered an administrative investigation (EDE).