diff --git a/lib/pages/chat/chat.dart b/lib/pages/chat/chat.dart
index 76d61c9c46..e43afda5ee 100644
--- a/lib/pages/chat/chat.dart
+++ b/lib/pages/chat/chat.dart
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ class ChatController extends State<Chat> {
             .firstWhere((s) => s.rooms?.leave?.containsKey(room.id) ?? false);
         await room.leave();
         await waitForSync;
-        return await client.startDirectChat(userId);
+        return await client.startDirectChat(userId, enableEncryption: true);
       },
     );
     final roomId = success.result;
diff --git a/lib/pages/new_group/new_group.dart b/lib/pages/new_group/new_group.dart
index 29d6278e52..5ea21b358e 100644
--- a/lib/pages/new_group/new_group.dart
+++ b/lib/pages/new_group/new_group.dart
@@ -26,13 +26,19 @@ class NewGroupController extends State<NewGroup> {
       context: context,
       future: () async {
         final roomId = await client.createGroupChat(
+          enableEncryption: true,
+          visibility: sdk.Visibility.private,
+          preset: sdk.CreateRoomPreset.privateChat,
+          /* #schulChatSpecific
           visibility:
               publicGroup ? sdk.Visibility.public : sdk.Visibility.private,
-          preset: publicGroup
-              ? sdk.CreateRoomPreset.publicChat
+          preset: publicGroupx
+              ? sdk.CreateRoomPreset.publicChatx
               : sdk.CreateRoomPreset.privateChat,
+           */
           groupName: controller.text.isNotEmpty ? controller.text : null,
         );
+
         return roomId;
       },
     );
diff --git a/lib/pages/new_group/new_group_view.dart b/lib/pages/new_group/new_group_view.dart
index 7aec730adc..64d225e172 100644
--- a/lib/pages/new_group/new_group_view.dart
+++ b/lib/pages/new_group/new_group_view.dart
@@ -35,18 +35,20 @@ class NewGroupView extends StatelessWidget {
                 ),
               ),
             ),
+            /* #schulChatSpecific
             SwitchListTile.adaptive(
               secondary: const Icon(Icons.public_outlined),
               title: Text(L10n.of(context)!.groupIsPublic),
-              value: controller.publicGroup,
+              value:  false, //controller.publicGroup, #schulChatSpecific
               onChanged: controller.setPublicGroup,
             ),
             SwitchListTile.adaptive(
               secondary: const Icon(Icons.lock_outlined),
               title: Text(L10n.of(context)!.enableEncryption),
-              value: !controller.publicGroup,
+              value: true , //!controller.publicGroup, #schulChatSpecific
               onChanged: null,
             ),
+             */
           ],
         ),
       ),
diff --git a/lib/pages/story/story_page.dart b/lib/pages/story/story_page.dart
index 2db5c5b7f7..28c43d8c24 100644
--- a/lib/pages/story/story_page.dart
+++ b/lib/pages/story/story_page.dart
@@ -496,8 +496,8 @@ class StoryPageController extends State<StoryPage> {
       case PopupStoryAction.message:
         final roomIdResult = await showFutureLoadingDialog(
           context: context,
-          future: () =>
-              currentEvent!.senderFromMemoryOrFallback.startDirectChat(),
+          future: () => currentEvent!.senderFromMemoryOrFallback
+              .startDirectChat(enableEncryption: true),
         );
         if (roomIdResult.error != null) return;
         VRouter.of(context).toSegments(['rooms', roomIdResult.result!]);
diff --git a/lib/pages/user_bottom_sheet/user_bottom_sheet.dart b/lib/pages/user_bottom_sheet/user_bottom_sheet.dart
index 1be9b1fc7d..ba2ee7bfc8 100644
--- a/lib/pages/user_bottom_sheet/user_bottom_sheet.dart
+++ b/lib/pages/user_bottom_sheet/user_bottom_sheet.dart
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ class UserBottomSheetController extends State<UserBottomSheet> {
       case UserBottomSheetAction.message:
         final roomIdResult = await showFutureLoadingDialog(
           context: context,
-          future: () => widget.user.startDirectChat(),
+          future: () => widget.user.startDirectChat(enableEncryption: true),
         );
         if (roomIdResult.error != null) return;
         VRouter.of(widget.outerContext)
diff --git a/lib/widgets/profile_bottom_sheet.dart b/lib/widgets/profile_bottom_sheet.dart
index dffa71c032..c5134c7908 100644
--- a/lib/widgets/profile_bottom_sheet.dart
+++ b/lib/widgets/profile_bottom_sheet.dart
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class ProfileBottomSheet extends StatelessWidget {
     final client = Matrix.of(context).client;
     final result = await showFutureLoadingDialog<String>(
       context: context,
-      future: () => client.startDirectChat(userId),
+      future: () => client.startDirectChat(userId, enableEncryption: true),
     );
     if (result.error == null) {
       VRouter.of(context).toSegments(['rooms', result.result!]);