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France defends teen’s classroom arrest over bullying case

The French government on Wednesday defended the arrest of a teenage boy in the middle of class over claims of bullying a transgender classmate, a rare move that angered many pupils and parents despite widespread support for a crackdown on harassment.

France defends teen's classroom arrest over bullying case
Photo by BERTRAND GUAY / AFP

The 14-year-old boy was put in handcuffs and marched out of his classroom in the Paris suburb of Alfortville Monday.

Government spokesman Olivier Véran said the arrest had been made “in compliance” with policies against abusive behaviour, and aimed to send “a very strong message” to bullying students.

“This is how we end this plague of harassment, it’s also how we are going to protect our children,” he said.

A police source told AFP the decision to arrest the boy was based on “the nature of extremely serious threats that required urgent detention”.

The alleged victim, who attends a different school, was targeted with comments such as “We’re going to cut your throat” and “I detest your type… go die, go kill yourself”.

At the boy’s school, many parents and fellow students were shocked at the arrest, asking why it could not have been done after the school day.

“He’s still just a teenager, a minor,” said Lamia, the 39-year-old parent of a student. “It’s really not normal… even though I’m against what was going on.”

One 14-year-old student who witnessed the arrest told AFP that “the principal knocked and told us an arrest was underway. Officers came in and seized his arms… and put on handcuffs.

“I thought it was impossible for police to come into a classroom,” she added. “We were shocked, some were laughing nervously.”

Didier Georges, of the SNPDEN-Unsa education union, said while regulations had been followed for the arrest, “that is not what we recommend for an intervention”.

“Common sense would dictate that such arrests not be made in class, even when completely justified,” he said.

The controversy comes days after it emerged that education officials had sent a threatening letter to the parents of a boy who had complained of being bullied by classmates for months, saying their public statements complaining about the bullying were “unacceptable” and urged them to adopt a “constructive” attitude.

The boy, identified as Nicolas, 15, later killed himself on September 5th in a Paris suburb, one day after pupils went back to school after the summer break.

Education Minister Gabriel Attal called the letter “shameful” and promised “a wake-up call” on the risks of bullying.

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SCHOOLS

Why do (most) French primary schools have Wednesday off?

It may come as a shock to families arriving in France that most younger children do not go to school five days a week.

Why do (most) French primary schools have Wednesday off?

But it’s true. In most areas, children up to the age of 10 or 11 – when they switch from école primaire to collège – go to school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and get a mid-week break from the daily grind.

Some areas do have classes on Wednesday mornings for younger children, but give them Wednesday afternoons off.

Once children hit collège, and then lycée, the usual pattern is to have classes on Wednesday morning, but the afternoons off.

READ ALSO What you need to know if your child is starting school in France

It’s one of a number of education-based cultural upheavals that children previously educated in other countries have to get used to — and, from their point of view at least, one of the easiest to get to grips with. But it may cause some concern among parents wondering how to incorporate it into their working week.

It certainly makes it a little easier for children to cope with the long French school day, if they think there’s a day off in the middle of the week. That, and the lovely, long lunch break, and the regular holidays (especially the eight-week summer one) not to mention all those public holidays in May…

So why does France do this?

Well aside from the above-mentioned reasons (which apply to teachers as well), there are historical reasons for the unusual timetable.

In the 19th century French children attended school six days a week. But, in 1882, then-education minister Jules Ferry introduced a law that established the principle of secular, free and compulsory education for all children.

This law cut the school week to five days, with Wednesdays set aside for extra-curricular activities, with Saturday school making up for the midweek absence.

READ ALSO Parents reveal: What to expect when your non-French speaking child starts school in France

In 2008, Saturday schooling was phased out by the Sarkozy government, though some schools in some parts of France still have Saturday-morning classes – and it’s why the official school holiday calendar still lists Saturday dates as the end of a term.

How do parents, children and teachers feel about it?

Pupils tend to like having Wednesday off for obvious reasons, while teachers also tend to be supportive.

But parents seem to like it too – it’s so ingrained in French family life that there were protests when, in 2013, the government tried to introduce a nationwide half-day schooling on Wednesday mornings, coupled with shorter days for the rest of the week.

READ ALSO Are packed lunches really banned in French schools?

The backlash from parents and schools to a well-intentioned but chaotically introduced policy was so deafening that the policy was quickly scrapped in mainstream schools, and was widely ignored among the country’s private fee-paying establishments.

Paris is the exception here, and some of the capital’s primary schools do have teaching on a Wednesday morning. Meanwhile across the country private schools set their own rules – some do have Wednesday mornings, some don’t.

But what about working parents?

It’s all very well for the kids, but what about parents who need to be at work on Wednesday?

Well there are options for childcare – Wednesday (or Wednesday afternoon) is traditionally the day for sports club to hold training sessions, plus other extra-curricular activities such as music lessons or swimming classes. 

There’s also the centre de loisirs – publicly-funded activity centres that offer full or half days on Wednesdays so that parents can go to work and children can have fun with activities – these centres offer a five-day-a-week programme during school holidays for the same reason.

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