School violence: soon police in French schools?

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At the origin of this proposal, the Minister of the Interior Christophe Castaner remained vague on the details of its implementation. REUTERS / Philippe Wojazer

Less than a week after the broadcast of the video of a teacher threatened with a dummy gun by a high school student, the government proposes ways to fight against school violence. It also seeks to ensure its support for teachers who denounce the omerta of the hierarchy in the face of such violence.

As a symbol of firmness, it was the Ministry of the Interior and not the Ministry of Education that was presented this Friday the action plan against school violence. No fewer than three ministers met: Christophe Castaner for the Interior, Jean-Michel Blanquer for Education and Nicole Belloubet for Justice. Together, to fight against violence in high school and high school, they proposed several avenues that will be developed in the Council of Ministers next Tuesday.

Policemen in the playgrounds

The most striking measure is the presence in some cases of police officers inside schools. Christophe Castaner, at the origin of this proposal, has for the moment remained rather vague as to the details of such a track. If the Minister of the Interior " does not exclude " the " physical presence of law enforcement " in colleges and high schools, it specifies that this will be done " case by case " only in the most difficult institutions and only " at times of particular tension in the day, " without specifying what moments it is. Finally, before seeing uniformed policemen patrolling the playgrounds, it will be necessary for the director of each establishment to give the go-ahead.

For his part Jean-Michel Blanquer, the Minister of Education, said he wants to " put order " in school. The formula seems to perfectly meet the expectations of the Head of State who had " demanded " that measures be taken after the publication of a video showing a student threaten his teacher with a dummy weapon.

To "restore order", Jean-Michel Blanquer proposes to multiply mobile security teams. Composed of 10 to 50 people including teachers, education advisers and retired gendarmes, they move from one institution to another as needed.

#Pasdevague

For a week, thousands of teachers denounce on social networks the inadequacy of listening to their hierarchy via the hashtag #pasdevague. The ironic keyword denounces how some cases of violence that they bring up would be stifled. A way, according to them, not to make noise, no wave.

To answer them, the Minister of National Education wants every case of violence to be " systematically reported ". The purpose of this measure is to provide a precise and factual picture of the number of cases and their severity. Finally, to provide a strong sanction when necessary, the Minister of Justice Nicole Belloubet wants to multiply the work of general interest (TIG) which she said " a strong educational value ."

Mixed teachers

Faced with this security shift for the school of tomorrow, which is also accompanied by the opening of 20 new closed educational centers, some teachers and parents of students have recently welcomed these lines of thought. While they salute the responsiveness of the government to their grumbling, some voices are already rising to criticize this shift security.

This is the case of the teachers' union Unsa, which deplores "that with these measures we respond to situations of violence that are most striking, but do not correspond to the daily lives of teachers ." Because teachers are mainly targeted by insults, remind many of them. " Teachers especially need an arsenal to improve the school climate and spaces for dialogue, " says Unsa.

Measures to strengthen the protection of our students and teachers. Ministers @jmblanquer @NBelloubet @CCastaner meeting in strategic committee to launch an ambitious action plan to be announced next Tuesday in the Council of Ministers. pic.twitter.com/UGSNiPtXkS