After femicide at Upper Austrian school: Decision on continued operation on Sunday

The Education Directorate of Upper Austria announced on Saturday in a press release "measures to support the students, teaching staff, and bereaved family members." Psychosocial support for the school community is being provided by Crisis Intervention Upper Austria and the school psychology service.

Crisis Intervention Upper Austria already carried out an initial intervention at the school on Friday. A round comprising representatives of the education directorate, Crisis Intervention Upper Austria, teaching staff, and the municipality is holding a coordination meeting on the matter.

Possible School Closure on Monday

According to APA information, the discussion is expected to include a possible school closure for Monday. Differentiated approaches for the primary school and the middle school, which are housed in the same school center, are conceivable. For example, the primary school could remain open, while the middle school could be closed for instruction at least on Monday.

A redesign of the area is also being discussed in the round, APA learned. The background is that the crime scene is not located in a separate area of the building, but is relatively central — in the school library, where the body of the 28-year-old teacher was found.

Background to the Crime

The likely motive for the femicide is considered to be unrequited love and the fact that the woman had entered into another relationship. The public prosecutor's office is investigating the exact sequence of events.

Those affected include students, teachers, and the bereaved family members of the victim. The Education Directorate assured that the needs of the entire school community would be addressed.

Support Services for Those Affected

Support services for people with suicidal thoughts and their relatives are offered by the Suicide Prevention Portal of the Ministry of Health. In addition, the Women's Helpline is available online at frauenhelpline.at and by phone at 0800-222-555, the Women's Shelter Emergency Line at 057722, the Association of Autonomous Austrian Women's Shelters (AÖF) online at aoef.at, and the Austrian Violence Protection Centers at 0800/700-217. The police emergency number is 133.

A decision on continued school operations will be made on Sunday. Those responsible therefore face the task of both enabling instruction to resume as quickly as possible and providing those affected with sufficient space for grief and processing.