Head teacher deploys to the scene Teachers allegedly provided pupils with alcohol and cigarettes at class camp

At a class camp at an Aargau school in Ticino, teachers allegedly provided alcohol and cigarettes for the pupils. The teachers then left the camp.

The Mutschellen district school's class camp in Bellinzona should have been an unforgettable week for two classes of pupils from the first to third years of secondary school. However, the trip ended unexpectedly and prematurely, as reported by "20 Minuten".

The two class teachers are said to have provided the pupils with alcohol and cigarettes during a trip to Italy. According to "20 Minuten", the pupils are between 12 and 15 years old.

A mother of one of the pupils concerned reports that her son called her on Wednesday evening, worried. Some of his classmates were drunk and he asked her to inform the principal. "An anxiety-filled night followed," the mother said, as she lost contact with her son and was unable to reach the principal.

Contact was only re-established at 1:30 am. The youngsters had to walk back to the hotel as there was no bus service. "The children were scared, they were cold, they were exhausted - and some were still drunk," she continued.

The teachers defended themselves to "20 Minuten": "Neither alcohol nor cigarettes were offered to the pupils, let alone provided for them. In fact, a few pupils allowed themselves the fun of pouring grape juice or cola into wine glasses and then drinking them with straws. This may have resulted in unfortunate images that could be misunderstood. We regret this," said the teachers.

The fact that the camp had to be broken off was "simply untrue". There had been pupils from other classes in the hostel who had harassed the pupils from the Aargau class. A meeting was therefore held with the hostel management the next morning.

The hostel management then contacted the school management, and the school management also traveled to Bellinzona.

The Mutschellen district school did not issue an official statement on the incident when asked by "20 Minuten".