A 19-year-old man from Oisterwijk entered the De Coppele and SBO Mozaik primary school building in Oisterwijk on Tuesday morning around eight o’clock. He said he had a gun and threatened to blow up the school. Fortunately, everything turned out well, but the children and employees were not left uneasy. A number of children have seen everything, says school director Robb Udo. There was a meeting for the employees on Wednesday and on Thursday the children will start with a special group discussion in their own classroom. We look at how they are doing and what they may need.
When the perpetrator came in, there were already five or six employees there, says school director Udo. “Two of them were immediately approached by the suspect. They felt threatened. It was not entirely clear what he wanted, he spoke English and Arabic. Another colleague called 112. The caretaker went to the pre-school center to warn them .”
The school director himself was not yet there when the man entered the building on Tuesday morning. “I arrived a little later. A colleague called me. When I got out, I saw that all colleagues were already outside. Then the children from pre-school care and their supervisor also came outside and there were already officers walking around.”
“The children were allowed to go to a parent across the street.”
The children are between 4 and 11 years old and were escorted from the building by a teacher. “They were allowed to go to a parent across the street. There they saw how everything was scaled up: first the police, then the ambulance and then the arrest team.”
Udo talks about an unreal day and he is happy that control was taken over by the police. “I tend to put things into perspective myself. For a moment I even wanted to start again at half past eight, but then the arrest team came. We immediately sent a message to all parents that they had to leave the children at home.”
According to the school director, the colleagues are doing well considering the circumstances. On Wednesday there was a meeting for teachers at the school, which was supervised by victim support and the police. There we discussed with the employees how they are doing and what they need to get back to work.
“You shouldn’t turn the school into a fortress.”
“It was a very special and intense day. No one was injured, but some colleagues are upset and find it scary to start again. But we will do it together and help each other as a team,” says the school director .
There was also a meeting for parents on Wednesday afternoon. They wanted to know, among other things, whether the school is still safe. “We are looking at whether we need to adjust our door policy even further. But you should not turn it into a fortress. I see this as something one-off,” says school director Udo.
Discussions with the students will follow on Thursday. “One teacher uses the Youth Journal, while another thinks it is not suitable for his class and comes up with something himself. There will also be a social worker in the school tomorrow. We see how the conversations are going and adjust the program if necessary.”
Previous reactions from residents of Oisterwijk:
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