Afraid of the bomb
How responsible is it to plan a school excursion to a major European city? Pupils of the Mollerlyceum in Bergen op Zoom were on two occasions close to a terrorist attack: in London and in Berlin.
Illustration Nanne Meulendijks
On Wednesday 22 March 2017 at 14.35 p.m. 42 HAVO / VWO students and three supervisors from the Mollerlyceum in Bergen op Zoom will walk across the Westminster Bridge in London. They are in London for five days on an educational study trip and at that time they take a city walk. A few minutes later they cross the bridge and wait at Parliament Square for the traffic light to turn green. “While we are standing there, we suddenly hear a loud bang behind us,” says Gerard van Nunen, geography teacher and supervisor of the London excursion. "I thought about an accident and agreed with my colleagues that I would go and see what was going on."
I yelled at the students to get out.
Van Nunen walks back and soon sees people running towards him, followed by a man with two knives. “At that moment I immediately realized that it was wrong and I started running too. I called out to the students to leave. Fortunately, the man did not run fast and it was not difficult to stay ahead of him. ” Part of the group moves to the side with one of the supervisors, Van Nunen crosses the street with a group of other students. “A police officer called out to a student, but paid a price for it. The man with the knives stabs and kills him, only to be shot by another policeman himself. I haven't seen that myself, but one of our students did. ”
The students and teachers from Bergen op Zoom do not yet fully realize that they have witnessed a terrorist attack that killed five people in total and injured XNUMX people. The injured people mainly fall on Westminster Bridge, where the man ran his car into pedestrians.
Travel advice
This dramatic event is something no school wants to experience on a school trip. It was not even the first time for the Mollerlyceum. A few months earlier, in December 2016, a group of students had just visited the Christmas market in Berlin when an attack was committed there that killed XNUMX people. “That experience has had a lot to do with us at school,” says former rector Marcel van Loo. “From that moment on, we started planning our study trips even more carefully. If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a negative travel advice, it's simple: we won't go. But if not, we consult with the parents of our students. Ultimately, they decide whether their child will go or not. ”
Much has also changed for supervisors due to the terrorist threat, says Van Loo. “You are faced with an even greater responsibility. You have to dare to do that. This means that at our school it can happen that one group decides to go, while the other group, after careful consideration, abandons it. ”
Return
Supervising teacher Van Nunen remembers the attack of 22 March in London as yesterday. “Very bizarre was the moment after the perpetrator was shot with three pistol shots. Immediately after that, peace fell over the whole area. That only took a moment and then a witch's cauldron was created with helicopters and police cars flying overhead, which came racing with flashing lights and sirens. ” Van Nunen says that the group then left the area to calm things down in a nearby park near Buckingham Palace. "There we checked whether everyone was unharmed and then had the students call their parents to immediately alleviate any concerns." Since it was impossible for the bus driver to pick up the group because the city center had meanwhile been hermetically sealed off, the group decided to walk to a place where the bus could reach. Van Nunen: “That was a walk of 4 kilometers. We could also have taken the metro, but some students didn't want that because they were afraid of yet another attack. ” When they arrived at the hotel, the supervisors consulted with the school management in Bergen op Zoom. It was finally decided to return to the Netherlands the next day, a day earlier than planned.
Nieuwsuur wanted a student or teacher in the broadcast, but we did not cooperate, because they had enough on their mind at the time
In the hours after the attack, various media discovered that the group of students from Bergen op Zoom had been close to the scene of the disaster. A boy was talking to a newspaper journalist by telephone. “You don't want that as a school, but you don't have a grip on everything at such a moment,” says Van Loo. The school itself was also approached by the press. “For example, Nieuwsuur wanted a student or supervising teacher in the broadcast, but we didn't cooperate because they had enough on their minds at the time. I did offer to provide some information myself, live on the broadcast."
According to Klaas Hiemstra, director of the School & Safety Foundation, this was a wise choice. “Screen off the students and take control yourself. Provide the information you can provide. If you don't, all kinds of Wild West stories arise that you have to correct later. ”
The Mollerlyceum was supervised by a regional crisis team. Van Loo: “Besides taking care of a number of logistical matters, they also ensured that our students were well received. For example, there was immediate victim support and the day after we talked to a large group of students. ”
The students are doing relatively well, says Van Loo. Also with that one student who was an eyewitness to the death of the police officer and the terrorist. “What we do hear from parents is that some students react emotionally when another attack has taken place somewhere. That is why it is still regularly discussed at school. ”
Emergency plan
Despite all the good preparations for the excursion to London, no emergency plan was ready at the Mollerlyceum. “In retrospect it would have been good to have more on paper,” Van Loo admits. “It is nice to be able to go back to some basic things that you have already thought of in advance. That provides guidance and security in hectic times. ” Hiemstra also argues for schools to draw up a calamity plan for school trips. “And very important: agree with students what they should and should not do when something as serious as an attack occurs. And perhaps you should no longer let students walk freely through the city because then you have no control. ”
Although Hiemstra understands schools that avoid school trips to big cities, he believes they should not be guided by fear. “The risk may be greater in large cities, but smaller cities can also be the target. Moreover, such an excursion has great educational value. And it is also a great experience for students, you just have to give them that. ”
Schools that want to be well prepared for a school trip can go to the website for information and practical tips School & Safety Foundation.
