SANTIAGO, Chile — Chilean President José Antonio Kast announced Monday his government will strengthen security protocols at the nation’s educational institutions after two separate weapon-related incidents sparked widespread concerns about student safety.
The security enhancement pledge comes after a fatal assault on Friday that claimed one life and left four people injured. Additionally, on the same day as Kast’s announcement, authorities detained another student who attempted to bring a loaded weapon onto school grounds.
“We are going to have to take certain measures to protect our students,” Kast declared during a school event in Santiago, the nation’s capital. “These measures, which were previously met with strong resistance, now need to be viewed differently. Society has changed.”
The Friday incident involved an 18-year-old student who launched a blade attack at an educational facility in northern Chile, fatally wounding a 59-year-old school inspector and injuring four others, including staff and students.
Medical officials report one victim continues receiving treatment in critical condition, while the perpetrator remains detained by authorities.
Chilean officials are calling this assault among the most severe cases of educational institution violence the country has experienced.
Kast, a far-right political leader who assumed the presidency in early March, referenced Monday’s separate incident involving a 15-year-old who tried entering a school while carrying a loaded firearm, stating that “the events that shock us all continue to occur.”
“Today, once again, a student was found in a school with an object capable of harming other children,” the president noted.
While declining to provide specific details, Kast revealed his administration will pursue “measures for greater control over access to schools.”
Education Minister María Paz Arzola disclosed her department is preparing legislation that would authorize educators to search student bags. The government also plans to accelerate the installation of metal detection equipment at educational facilities.
The Monday arrest occurred in Curicó, located approximately 200 kilometers south of Santiago, where the teenager had concealed a weapon and bullets in his clothing while attempting to enter the school premises.
“Police arrived at the scene… they detained the minor, the weapon was seized, and they proceeded with the arrest,” explained Maj. Juan Díaz Serrano of Chile’s police force. He noted the student made no threatening statements and did not “pull out the weapon to intimidate any staff member or classmate.”
Although armed incidents remain uncommon in Chile, the country’s secondary schools and universities have a long tradition of political activism. During significant social unrest in 2011 and 2019, students took confrontational positions against political and corporate leadership while demanding comprehensive reforms.
In late 2024, over 30 students sustained injuries from an explosion involving homemade incendiary devices prepared for a student demonstration in Santiago. Earlier in May, three students were shot and injured during what authorities labeled Chile’s first school shooting incident, which occurred in the Bío Bío region.
