Messages warning about alleged shootings inside schools have caused alarm in different departments of the country and forced the activation of security protocols. The authorities are investigating whether these are real threats or imitative behavior linked to social networks, while the National Civil Police confirms at least six affected educational centers.
The threats keep the authorities of the Ministry of Education (Mineduc), teachers and parents on alert, who show concern for the safety of thousands of students.
In less than a week, several educational establishments have reported intimidating messages written inside their facilities, which has forced them to activate emergency protocols and reinforce preventive measures.
The most recent case occurred in Ciudad Vieja, Sacatepéquez, where a message was located on the tiles of a bathroom that warned of an alleged shooting scheduled for this Monday, April 27, and urged students “not to come.”
Given the situation, the management of the educational center issued an urgent statement in which it asked parents to carefully check the backpacks from home, a measure that will also be reinforced with inspections at the entrance to the campus by authorized personnel.
This incident adds to another recorded on April 23 in Jalapa, where a similar message forced the suspension of classes and the preventive evacuation of students and teaching staff.
Agents from the National Civil Police (PNC) and experts from the Public Ministry (MP) carried out procedures to collect evidence and determine whether it was a real threat or imitative behavior linked to trends spread on social networks. However, they stressed that this type of action is already considered a crime.
The Mineduc reported that it is part of the inter-institutional table for the prevention of violence in educational centers, integrated together with the Ministry of the Interior, SVET, the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office (PDH) and the Attorney General’s Office (PGN).
According to the educational portfolio, during the week reports were received from public and private educational centers in which similar messages appeared, so the corresponding security protocols were activated.
The authorities indicated that these behaviors respond to trends observed on social networks in several Latin American countries, especially in Mexico, where this trend began.
The Mineduc assures that reports have been registered in Guatemala, Petén, Jalapa and Sacatepéquez.
The Mineduc called on educational communities to report any threat to numbers 110 or 1510 of the PNC, for immediate follow-up.
The ministry has stressed that, although many threats end up being false alarms, none can be ignored due to the risk they represent.
According to the Vice Minister of Education, Francisco Cabrera, there are 11 middle-level educational centers that have reported these incidents; nine belong to the private sector and two to the official sector. The majority is concentrated in the department of Guatemala.
He added that, in addition to the backpack inspection that is implemented, establishments can carry out other actions, as long as the students’ rights are not violated.
The official indicated that these events cannot be downplayed, which is why actions are coordinated with the Ministry of the Interior, despite the fact that they consider that it is the product of a trend on social networks.
He also pointed out that a prank can become a crime, since it could even put a student’s life at risk.
“If we raise alarm we are part of the problem, and if we do not take action we are also part of the problem, which is why we call on parents to report irregularities that they consider relevant.”
Jorge Aguilar, PNC spokesperson, explained: “The National Civil Police handles these types of complaints with the formalities of the case.”
He added: “In all the complaints that have been received, both in public institutes and in private schools, they have been attended to by the National Division against the Criminal Development of Gangs and police crime prevention units, specifically Safe Schools and also the police units of the sector where it has been reported, since we have located information in Petén, Jalapa, Guatemala and in other departments.”
He also called on parents: “Maintain close communication with the young people at home, with the young people, in this case students; also, not to be participants in this type of situation, since we have detected that it is a kind of challenge or action that is done through different social networks or some type of situation that has occurred in other countries.”
The spokesperson compared these cases with other alerts: “When they talk about an explosive, we have to remove people from the building, verify that there is no explosive and deal with it as is done in international standards. This is how it is done in this type of situation as well.”
Likewise, he noted: “The only purpose is to protect. We cannot, at some point, omit, knowing that it is some type of challenge or pattern that has been copied through social networks.”
The National Civil Police has recalled that, with the “Safe Schools” program, it maintains a permanent presence in at least 38 educational centers, while at the national level it also carries out monitoring.
Recommendations
Educational centers are urged to:
- Strengthen security protocols
- Maintain direct communication with parents
- Immediately coordinate with the PNC in the event of any alert
- Promote mental health programs and responsible use of social networks
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