The girl (10) who was seriously injured on Wednesday in a stabbing in a house in Boekel is a student of Child Center Octopus in Boekel. The school management confirms this. The girl’s 12-year-old brother died in the house on Dotterbloem. How do you deal with this as a school? “As a school you are never prepared for this. You have to look at what is appropriate at the moment,” says board member Karin van den Berkmortel about the rollercoaster they have found themselves in.
The news hit the school like a bombshell. The 10-year-old girl who was injured is in one of groups 7 at KC Octopus. Her 12-year-old brother did not survive the stabbing. He goes to another school. “Our thoughts are with the relatives,” says Van den Berkmortel. “This has an impact on the entire community, all children in Boekel are involved in it. It goes beyond just the school.”
The school’s employees, a team of about 35 people, stayed at school until late on Wednesday, says director Jan Heesakkers. “We sat down with people from Victim Support. We had all kinds of questions. What are we going to do tomorrow? How do we accommodate students and parents? How can we be there for colleagues?” he says.
“Of course there is an empty seat in the classroom.”
To accommodate parents and their children, staff from Victim Support, GGD and Boekel Village Team were ready this morning when the school opened. “In the classroom there was room for the stories that children had heard.”
All year 7 teachers at the school were present today to support each other in class. During the day, a special corner is set up at school for the children. They can go here for support and comfort.
“Of course there is an empty seat in the classroom. We talked about it with the children this morning and then they started doing crafts. It’s good to get back into the rhythm, so that it doesn’t take all day long,” Heesakkers explains.
“The advice was mainly: listen to each other and stick to the facts.”
The school was soon in contact with the police and the municipality on Wednesday after the accident and stabbing. In the evening, a number of colleagues went to a meeting organized by the municipality of Boekel. There was also discussion about how to best deal with this situation. “The advice was mainly: listen to each other and stick to the facts,” says Van den Berkmortel.
She is satisfied with the cooperation with the municipality and all other parties. She also praises the efforts of her employees. “Today after school, the team will meet again to discuss how things went and what is needed for tomorrow. You cannot imagine situations like this. There are no protocols for that.”
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