INTERVIEW
In Montauban, in Tarn-et-Garonne, the mayor is resisting. While on Tuesday, a million students will return to school, the city has decided not to reopen its own. LR mayor of Montauban, Brigitte Barèges, explains on Friday at the microphone of Europe 1 why she believes that the city is not ready to welcome children. First, she believes that the health protocol requested by the government is too complex to implement, and in too little time.
"The communes have prepared but are not ready"
"The municipalities are prepared but are not ready," said Brigitte Barèges. "This is our case, when we have been working for a while". In the case of Montauban, the city was "committed to providing all municipal staff, 1,400 people, including 400 people who will work in our 37 schools, screening tests, serological". However, these tests can only be carried out next week, on a voluntary basis: "a problem of delay compared to the expected equipment".
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Then, she explained, the other reason concerns the vagueness around the number of schoolchildren expected. "We are in a complete unknown on the number of students who must return to school," said the mayor, who recalls that barely 14% of students will resume. "We have imposed rules to allow distance with a maximum of 15 students per class. If I apply this rate of 14%, we will have barely two per class ... It might be good to open all grade levels at once, "she asked.
The city of Montauban, which has 60,000 inhabitants, will however maintain a minimum school service for priority children, extended to children from the prefecture and the town hall.
"Pressures" on academic inspection
"I felt the academic inspection completely panicked, it is to them that we are pressuring" finally added Brigitte Barèges. "They even admitted that they received the circular only on Monday. We, the same: we only received this famous 63-page health protocol this week."
The mayor, who also chairs the agglomeration of Grand Montauban, assures that "half of the rural elected officials do not want to open because they cannot respect these standards which one imposes to them. One would gain to simplify the things to them, and also for parents. "
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This desire not to reopen schools reacted to the Prefect, who said in a press release "that in no case is this decision the subject of an agreement with the state services." Brigitte Barèges denounces, however, having taken this decision without the opinion of the state services: “On the contrary, we are in permanent dialogue. I have to see the academic director of the National Education services on Monday. ”