Italian school fails comatose 17-year-old for absences, father calls decision 'offensive and inhumane'
A 17-year-old student in a coma since December 2024 was declared 'not classified' by her school in Battipaglia due to absences, with her father decrying the decision as 'offensive and inhumane' and demanding its annulment.
The student's condition and the school's decision
A student enrolled at the Istituto Superiore Enzo Ferrari in Battipaglia, Salerno province, has been in a coma since December 2024 because of a serious brain pathology. In June 2025, despite several months of absence, she was admitted to the next class. For the current school year, however, the school communicated that she was 'not classified' (N.C.) in the final assessments and therefore failed, citing excessive absences that made evaluation impossible.
- Student enters coma due to brain pathology.
- Admitted to the next class despite many absences, based on first-quarter evaluations.
- School declares student not classified, triggering the father's protest.
The father's protest
The girl's father sent a letter to the school in which he defined the outcome as "offensive and inhumane" and requested the annulment of the final scrutiny. He also reportedly contested the provision on the grounds that a person in a coma cannot objectively participate in lessons or be assessed on engagement and attendance.
The headmaster's reply
Headmaster Luca Mattiocco, speaking to Il Mattino, explained the school's position: "Last year the student was admitted to the next class based on evaluations already available in the first quarter. This year, on the contrary, there were no evaluative elements and the regulation did not allow me to proceed in the same way." He rejected accusations of neglect, adding: "We did everything in our power. The girl was remembered in a public moment organized by the school and a teacher went personally to her home to visit her."
Last year the student was admitted to the next class based on evaluations already available in the first quarter. This year, on the contrary, there were no evaluative elements and the regulation did not allow me to proceed in the same way.
The legal context
Under Article 14 of Presidential Decree 122/2009, upper secondary school students must attend at least 75% of the annual lesson hours to be admitted to the next class or to the state exam. The teachers' board can grant derogations for exceptional cases, including serious health conditions, but only if sufficient elements for an overall evaluation remain. The school maintains that no such elements existed this year, whereas the father argues that the rule should yield to the objective impossibility of a comatose student to attend.
