On Tuesday, September 29, 2026, a real tragedy occurred at an elementary school in the village of Staškov (Staškov) in the Čadca District (Čadca): a 13-year-old 8th-grade student attacked two teachers and one student with a knife. Unfortunately, a 61-year-old teacher died, and a 44-year-old female teacher and a student were injured.
According to Slovak media, the attack happened in the morning, right after the first lesson. The 61-year-old woman, unfortunately, suffered fatal injuries. The 44-year-old teacher with a stab wound to the chest was taken to a hospital in Žilina (Žilina), her condition is stable, and she is out of danger. The injured student, in critical condition, was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Martin (Martin), where she is under close medical supervision.
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok confirmed that the attacker has been detained. The case is handled by the Office for the Fight Against Organized Crime of the Presidium of the Police Force (Úrad boja proti organizovanej kriminalite Prezídia Policajného zboru), which is conducting a criminal investigation for the particularly serious crime of intentional murder.
It is known that there were problems at the school before. On the Friday before the tragedy, psychologists from the Prevention and Counseling Center were already called to the school, conducting a two-hour session with the class due to previous incidents. Education Minister Tomáš Drucker noted that the school responded promptly to earlier signals.
The Interior Minister also praised the heroic actions of the school principal, who, being at the scene, acted according to instructions and prevented an even greater tragedy. This incident sparked wide discussion about safety in Slovak schools and the need to strengthen measures to prevent youth radicalization.
