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Ludwigshafen School Knife Case Goes to Trial as Safety Failures Draw Scrutiny

The non-public proceeding over an alleged attempted murder spotlights teacher reports of unchecked violence at the school.

Overview

  • The Landgericht Frankenthal opened the case on December 15 over an alleged May knife attack on a teacher, with court materials citing schizophrenia and possible lack of criminal responsibility for the 17-year-old defendant.
  • The teaching staff sent a ten-page letter to the education ministry describing repeated assaults, threats and severe disruptions that they say have made regular instruction impossible.
  • Local authorities report immediate steps at the school including restricting entry to the main door and increasing supervision, and the ADD says video surveillance is under review while a security service is not being considered.
  • Police data list 96 criminal complaints from 2022 to 2024, roughly half for bodily injury, though officers do not classify the site as a policing hotspot overall.
  • A VBE survey found psychological violence against teachers at 72% of schools statewide and physical violence at 29%, as officials reject a causal link to the school’s high share of students with a migration background reported at 86.5%.