The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations, citing what it described as “credible field reports from teachers, parents, and students” across several provinces, has warned that the street crackdowns of the Dey protests have now “dangerously extended into classrooms.”
On Thursday, February 12, 2026, the council announced—based on collected documents and testimonies—the entry of “non-specialized forces and an ‘ideological screening’ project into schools nationwide following a systematic pattern.”
According to the report, following the protests of January 7 and 8, 2026, “schools have been turned into backyards of security institutions.” Eyewitnesses say individuals outside the educational staff—described as Basij forces, religious preachers, and plainclothes agents—have entered schools with prearranged programs.
The council stated that the mission of these individuals has not been education, but rather “ideological interrogation” and psychological pressure on students. The report further emphasized that these actions have transformed schools—meant to be a second home and a safe haven for children—into centers of tension and fear.
Repeated interrogations, threatening questions, and the imposition of a constant sense of surveillance have, according to the statement, effectively shifted schools from supportive institutions into sources of intimidation.
The council also described one of the most alarming aspects of the situation as an alleged “systematic effort to dismantle the wall of trust” between teachers and students.
It warned that the continued presence of security, seminary, and Basij-affiliated forces in schools would amount to a “final blow” to the education system, and called for the immediate withdrawal of all non-educational personnel from schools.
Based on the council’s reports, at least 200 students have reportedly been killed during the Dey protests and the subsequent violent crackdown by security forces.
