Move follows fatal knife attack at Italian school.
The Italian government has authorised the use of metal detectors in schools as part of measures to increase security in the wake of a fatal stabbing at a school in La Spezia.
Italy’s education minister Giuseppe Valditara and interior minister Matteo Piantedosi on Wednesday issued a joint directive to strengthen security within schools, including the possibility of introducing metal detectors at the entrances to school buildings.
Fatal knife attack
The move comes after an 18-year-old student died on 16 January after being stabbed by a 19-year-old classmate at his vocational school in La Spezia in Italy’s north-west Liguria region.
The stabbing shocked Italy and sparked a nationwide debate about knife violence and security in the country’s schools.
Security measures
The directive aims to “strengthen actions to prevent and combat illegality in schools,” and urges prefects and regional school principals to meet with the provincial committees for public order and security to coordinate surveillance and control efforts, in an attempt to balance security with school autonomy.
Metal detectors will not be mandatory for every school but can be deployed at the request of school principals who identify specific risks, such as bullying, drug dealing or reported weapon possession.
The directive emphasises the use of portable metal detectors rather than permanent airport-style gates, allowing for more flexible and less intrusive checks.
Piantedosi also confirmed that checks can be carried out without prior notice to serve as an effective deterrent.
To avoid blurring the roles of educators, the scans must be performed by public security officers (police or authorised personnel) rather than teachers or administrative staff.
Divisive issue
The use of metal detectors in schools is a divisive issue and has sparked debate among parents and teachers across Italy.
Supporters view the move as a necessary deterrent to “knife culture and a way to protect students and staff, while critics describe it as “repressive”, claiming that it fails to address the underlying social and psychological roots of youth violence.
The Einaudi-Chiodo institute in La Spezia, where the fatal stabbing took place earlier this month, has become one of the first schools to request and receive authorisation for metal detector checks.
