"Council endorses 'School as a sanctuary' idea"
Schools in Essen now have the opportunity to apply for funding and implement effective violence prevention programs, as the city council has recently approved the "Safe School" concept on July 2, 2025.
This initiative, aimed at ensuring a safer learning environment, includes preventive, technical, and structural measures for school safety. The detailed guidelines, which can be found in annex 0594/2025/4, provide schools with a comprehensive approach to improving school safety.
The "Safe School" concept prioritises cost-effective multiplier programs that regularly train teaching staff. This approach is designed to have a far-reaching impact, with the goal of gaining insights from this pilot phase that will benefit other schools in the future.
Up to 20 schools will be funded in a pilot phase, and the concrete implementation of the described measures will be decided in cooperation with the schools. Guidelines have been developed for all schools, including equipping doors with lock cylinders, installing alarm systems, and installing privacy screens on windows and doors with an outward view.
Schools with higher risk levels may opt for additional measures such as lighting of hidden corners, installation of locking systems on outer doors, use of cameras/monitoring systems, use of security personnel, digital ID systems, and burglar alarm systems. These schools will be accompanied by specialist institutions during implementation and evaluation.
The city portal Press and Communications Office is the issuer of the resolution, and contact details are provided in the article. An exchange with the state of NRW is planned to create fixed time slots in the schedule for prevention work and emphasize its equivalence to academic instruction.
The effectiveness of the measures will be evaluated annually, and findings from the evaluations will be used to optimise the implementation concept in the future. By 2030, all public schools in Essen should have access to general and specific prevention programs from the "Green List Prevention" with the possibility of further training for new teachers.
Further information about the schools in Essen that are financially supported and accompanied by special institutions during the pilot phase of the "Green List Prevention" program can be found in the aforementioned annex. For more details, please visit the city portal or contact the Press and Communications Office.
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