INTERVIEW
While the epidemic ebb continues in France, deconfinement is also accelerating for schools: the government has announced that all schools should be open from Tuesday. But while the coronavirus epidemic is not over and strict health protocols are still recommended, is the goal of welcoming all children achievable? No, according to Philippe Laurent, mayor (UDI) of Sceaux and vice-president of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF).
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"The premises are not expandable"
"There are standards that have been set by the government: no more than 15 children per class, where we welcome most of the time 26, 28, even 30," recalls the councilor. However, "the premises are not expandable, the number of teachers is not expandable," he points out. "Being able to accommodate 100% of the children in a school is totally impossible."
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Philippe Laurent takes the example of his commune, where around 30% of children are currently in school. "We can go up a little, maybe 45-50%. But in the municipalities where we already welcome 50 to 60% of children, it seems difficult to go further, which poses a real problem, in particular for parents who have to return to work, "he said.
"There will be a tension for the month of June"
The problem arises, according to him, also in the nurseries, "where the groups are at most ten, where one could have sections which welcomed about twenty children". Here again, the "necessary personnel" and the premises are lacking for the return of the small residents in compliance with sanitary measures.
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Consequence: "There will be, for the month of June, a tension, with parents who wish to entrust their children to both nurseries and schools, and a reception capacity which will necessarily be limited", predicts Philippe Laurent.