Between violence, suicides and increasing psychological fragility, the latest news events question the role of the school and call for a cultural change: shared responsibility, real listening and an authentic educational alliance with families to intercept the discomfort before it becomes irreversible
In recent months, Italian schools have been hit by tragic events which should lead to a profound reflection on the educational and social function of the school institution, on the mental health of young people and on the quality of relationships between school, family and community.
In the province of Latina, on 11 September 2025, fourteen-year-old Paolo Mendico took his own life in his home on the eve of the school year, in an incident linked to the bullying he allegedly suffered and which had been reported by his family, triggering an investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office for incitement to suicide and a ministerial inspection which led to the suspension of the school director for three days and other measures against teachers of the Pacinotti Institute in Fondi.
At the beginning of January, the tragic event in Crans-Montana showed how a collective wound can spill over into classrooms, with psychologically shattered classes and the need for immediate psychological support.
These are two very different episodes that take place in a context of growing youth psychological fragility and strong tensions in relationships with the adults of reference.
According to recent data, among Italian adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19, approximately 8% live with anxiety and 4% with depression, conditions that are increasing in the European youth population in recent years and aggravated by the post-pandemic period.
National surveys highlight how almost half of adolescents do not show a good level of psychological well-being and how phenomena such as social isolation, digital hyperconnection and cyberbullying are on the rise, further complicating the emotional picture of young people.
Furthermore, recent studies on adolescence show that conflicts with parents and difficulties in family dialogue can constitute risk factors for the psychological well-being of children, who are increasingly relegated to the silence of anonymity in which dark and empty thoughts filled by the contents transmitted from the screens of their smartphones gain voice, making it even more difficult to manage daily challenges, including those related to school and the construction of an identity.
Faced with this complexity, the educational response cannot be to become rigid, to close ourselves in defensive fences or to seek institutional alibis.
The temptation to react to the news and these inconveniences – which anyone who lives in the school environment experiences – by securing the position of those who work at school is strong, just as it is legitimate, but by dint of bureaucratic cover-ups, safety protocols and superficial blame, one risks dedicating oneself only to defense, without affecting the real dynamics that go through the lives of the children and their families.
The school is not a bunker to be manned, but an outpost of society and an educating community that must know how to read the signs of distress, welcome stories and difficulties, observe without prejudice and intervene with adequate tools, without fear of being blamed, attacked or even – be careful! – invested with responsibilities that are not theirs.
The key lies in rethinking the educational alliance between school and family, with a view to authentic collaboration that enhances the truth of the facts, mutual listening and respect for shared responsibilities.
Episodes of bullying, signs of suffering, emotional isolation and relationship difficulties cannot be marked as exclusively “scholastic” or “family” problems: they are issues that cross the days and lives of those involved and, consequently, require a network of interventions in which educators, parents, health services, psychologists and the third sector work together to build paths of accompaniment, prevention and treatment.
Frailty should not be considered a taboo or a nuisance; on the contrary, it is necessary for school to become a place of continuous dialogue with families, welcoming children’s needs not as complaints to be rejected, but as requests for help to be interpreted and supported.
From the families’ point of view, dialogue with the school must not be reduced to a job description to be expected to be fulfilled, or an outlet for any frustration and insecurity.
It’s really time to rebuild an educational alliance destroyed by reluctant conversations, mutual distrust, communications via certified e-mail, access to documents, school years ending in court, excessively loud tones in the classroom, in the corridor, in the school car park, on social media.
The challenge we face – as an educational system and as a society – is not to leave girls and boys alone in their moments of vulnerability, not to transform pain into something to wash one’s hands of, and to build an educational pact based on trust, shared responsibility and attention to the less visible, but more significant, signs of distress and need for care.
Only in this way can we truly make school a place of growth, protection and construction of meaning for the new generations. We really need an idea of a school made of life, not plastic.
