Jean-Michel Blanquer held a press conference on Wednesday August 26 to detail the measures put in place for the start of the school year.
His speech was eagerly awaited. Wednesday August 26, Jean-Michel Blanquer detailed the main lines of the health protocol in schools from September 1. Unveiled last July, the relaxed version of the document has hardly changed, except for a few points cited by the Minister of National Education.
- Systematic wearing of a mask: for students over 11 as well as for all adults. This includes in particular kindergarten teachers, for whom it has not been systematic until now. In addition, as Jean-Michel Blanquer clarified at the microphone of France Inter, in the morning of August 27, the pupils and teachers will have to keep their masks all day, and this even if the physical distance is respected. In the old version of the protocol, they could withdraw it if the safety distances were respected.
- Wearing a mask will also be compulsory during recess, for teachers and students over 11 years old.
- There will be no more physical distancing during recess. Access to outdoor games and benches is also authorized again.
- Schools will have to find solutions to avoid the mixing of students in the canteen: either respect the 1 meter distance, or open other rooms for lunch and multiply the number of visits to the canteen.
- Limitation of crossings and groupings between students, although the limitation of mixing between classes and groups of students will no longer be mandatory. " It is better, if possible, that teachers change classes rather than students. In elementary school, it is mainly about thinking about the direction of movement, and the actors are now used to it ", Jean-Michel Blanquer told Le Parisien.
The measures announced will be subject to "local adaptations" depending on the evolution of the epidemic. “During the year, if the situation worsened in a region, we could trigger a hybrid formula for certain establishments (part in small groups, part in distance education), or even, very locally, class closures. or establishments. In both cases, we are ready ”, he told the daily
If a case of covid-19 is detected in a classroom, there will be rapid screening. “Anytime anyone has symptoms, whether it's a child or an adult, in a facility, there is an immediate test. From the moment the test is positive, the whole procedure which is not, at that time, the responsibility of the national education, but the responsibility of the regional health agency (ARS) , is triggered, in particular to break the chain of contamination ”, said the minister during his press conference.
Catch up
The first term of the school year will aim to make up for lost time during confinement. Assessments in CP, CE1, 6th and 2nd classes at the start of the year will be reinforced and will allow teachers in particular to assess the knowledge and gaps of the students. Support for students in difficulty will also be strengthened, as Jean-Michel Blanquer told Le Parisien: "We have created positions in primary school, and an additional 1.5 million hours dedicated to personalized support in middle school, as in high school. " Academic support for secondary school students will be free and provided by teachers and school assistants, as soon as parents request it.
In priority education areas, 300,000 children in CP and CE1 will benefit from split classes. 20,000 high school students are also affected.
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