The Public Prosecutor’s Office and Ertsintza and Education are investigating a case of alleged harassment by students of the Uribe-Costa Public Institute in Plentzia, in Bizkaia, against one of their teachers, who was on vacation. The events took place on October 31, as part of Halloween celebrations, when a large group of “students,” some of whom were under 14 years old and therefore irresponsible, went to the private teacher’s home and apparently threw objects and eggs at the house.
As the Deputy Minister of Education, Lucia Torrealdai, explained to the media, first the local police appeared, then Ertzenza took over the case, and now, as El Correo reported, the Juvenile Public Prosecutor’s Office is conducting criminal proceedings. Under the law, crimes committed by minors under the age of 14 cannot be punished. On the other hand, reform measures can be applied between 14 and 17 years of age. In the administrative region, internal protocols were activated and Counselor Begoña Pedrosa telephoned the affected person to provide “psychological and legal” support.
The Deputy Minister confirmed that education took action as soon as he learned of what happened, but it is not unlikely that this same situation will be repeated in the past, also on Halloween. “It is the first time we are aware of this case because, among other things, in order to activate this above-mentioned protocol, the teacher must ask for it. So far it seems that cases of this kind have occurred and been resolved within the educational and local field, with measures imposed on the students who participated. But we do not know more,” Torrealdai noted.
In response to a question about the possible penalties that could be imposed on students, the Ministry of Education asked for caution and the time needed to complete the investigation. Of course, he pointed out that “the students are minors, and therefore the procedures must be pedagogical.” He cited “social work” or “leaving the classroom for a few days” as examples “depending on the severity of the events.”
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