The principals wish to promote awareness of the sanction, while masks become mandatory for students over 11 years old.
Jean-Michel Blanquer wishes for a “normal” back-to-school period. Over the last few days, the Minister of Education has been speaking out and trying to reassure parents and teachers, on the eve of a return to school, which is logically made special by the sanitary conditions.
Last week, the latter had explained that adults would be obliged to wear masks in schools without exception, and that targeted class closures could be carried out in case of contamination. This Monday, Jean-Michel Blanquer also assured that there will be “no shortage of teachers for Tuesday” and that all the recruitments could be made despite the health crisis.
“Raising Awareness”
However, only a few hours before they return to class, a few points are still unclear. In the reference health protocol posted on the National Education website, it is indeed confirmed that all students over 11 years of age must wear the mask outside and inside when they are in the school. A measure that does not concern kindergarten students and most primary school students, i.e. those under 11 years of age.
On the other hand, it is not currently specified how schools must control the wearing of masks and what the sanctions are. It just says that it is mandatory “in enclosed and outdoor spaces even when a distance of one meter is respected.
Contacted by BFMTV.com, Igor Garncarzyk, principal and general secretary of Snupden-FSU, the union of the heads of the FSU, emphasizes that the controls will be the responsibility of the establishments, and that for the moment the awareness is favored to the sanction.
“We are not going to speak in terms of sanctions, but of sensitization. We are going to do everything we can to make them wear them, we hope that awareness will work with a general message,” he emphasizes.
“No student will go home”.
Moreover, this same Igor Garncarzyk reminds us, as the protocol of the National Education already underlined, that “families must provide the masks to their children, except in the case of financial difficulties”. If need be, the establishments “will be able to provide, with the help of the local authorities, free masks”. A measure that will affect all students in certain areas of France, including Occitania and the Hauts-de-France, reminds RTL for its part.
“No student will go back home”, explains RTL, which considers however that if a student does not respect the gestures barriers or the wearing of the mask “ostensibly or voluntarily”, then his case “falls within the management mode” of the establishment, understand its rules of procedure.
By way of conclusion, the trade unionist reminds us that this new school year will be special for the students, but also for the teachers. “It’s going to be complicated to keep the mask on all the time; it’s going to be one of the big difficulties,” he concludes.
Already in May, when the students were gradually returning to school, the question of sanctions for students who did not respect the health rules were already being raised. Contacted by BFMTV.com, Audrey Chanonat, a member of the national executive of the SNPDEN (union of school principals), also explained that “temporary evictions” could be envisaged “if the gestures were not respected voluntarily”, but that, once again, awareness-raising was the priority.
Source: BFMTV
