In the small town of Saussan, the start of the school year could not take place because parents want to exclude the teacher suspected of violence.
Operation dead school. All the little schoolchildren in France went back to school on Thursday, September 2. But at the nursery school La Marelle, in Saussan in the Hérault, 89 of them (out of the 95 registered) were missing. And for good reason. A teacher, visually impaired, suspected of violence in three of her former schools, works there. Parents refuse to allow their children to attend this establishment until a replacement is appointed. So instead of the classic start of the school year, they decided to organize a “mani-party”, an event that offers games and activities to children, while parents make their demands heard, reports The world. Christophe Mauny, departmental director of national education services, defended the teacher. “Parents who file a complaint (…), we have them every year. No parent of Saussan can blame him for anything”, he explained to the World, insisting that a judge had examined the situation and had ruled by dismissing the complaint. Despite everything, to calm the situation, the Montpellier academy recognized that it was a “heavy file” and decided to accompany this teacher, so that she never finds herself alone with the students. Parents do not think this is enough.
Teacher accused by parents of insulting and hitting her students
This disabled teacher is accused of verbal, mental and physical violence. In 2015, 15 children from a school in a neighboring village gave testimonies to this effect and a complaint was filed. It is this file which was closed without follow-up. In 2020, the teaching team of a Montpellier school where she worked would also have made a report. Parents of Saussan students anonymously received a file relating “regular spanking, notebook shots” or insults like “cattle” Where “shit”.
The mayor of Saussan supports the parents of pupils
According to France Blue, in a previous school, she also required that all children kiss her on the cheek on Friday before leaving for the weekend. The radio reports that several complaints from parents have been filed against the woman, and none have resulted in legal proceedings.
The mayor of Saussan, Joël Vera, provided support to the children and their parents. “There is a serious doubt which should benefit the pupil”, he estimated with the world. And to add: “To work together, you need a school of trust. And that link is totally broken.” No one knows when school will be able to resume calmly.