The teachers will return to school in Paris on May 11, the students being expected from Thursday 14, according to a letter from the director of the academy, the mayor of Paris referring on Monday to the return of about "15% of pupils ”on that date.
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"The start of the school year will be very gradual", in nursery and primary schools, warns the director of the Paris academy Marc Teulier in his letter sent on Sunday evening to the heads of establishments, until the heads of establishments can ensure " maximum health security conditions ”on their premises.
Mayors against back to school
Sunday, 329 mayors of Ile-de-France, including the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, wrote an open letter to Emmanuel Macron asking him to postpone the reopening of schools to a date later than May 11, denouncing a deconfinement "to forced walk". "It is estimated that roughly no more than 15% of Parisian students will be accommodated on May 14. Obviously it will be progressive, ”says Anne Hidalgo in an interview with the Parisian.
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She said she was not "in an attitude of blocking", adding that "if the National Education decides to open schools in May" the role of mayors is "to make sure that the schools are ready". "With the rector (...) we are rather on the idea of welcoming on May 11 the students who have already been welcomed since the beginning of confinement, namely the children of health personnel, firefighters, municipal staff, workers in the food trade and funeral services, ”says Hidalgo to the Parisian.
“From May 14, we are working on a system that will widen these priority audiences to the children of RATP staff, children with disabilities or those who have dropped out during confinement. Priority will also be given to the large preschool, CP and CM2 sections, ”she explains in daily life.
Taking into account "the configuration of the premises", Mr. Teulier also encourages establishments to welcome a number of students "below the threshold" of 15 students per class, set by the Ministry of National Education.
According to Ms. Hidalgo, the gauge should be "around 10 students, even a little less for kindergartens." The mayor of Paris also indicates that staff will be offered tests "on a voluntary basis" and adds that she wants to "go further by proposing to parents who wish it that their children can also benefit from tests" via medicine school.
A questionnaire was also sent to the directors, and must be returned to the parents of students so that they can specify whether or not they wish to send their children to school.
"Some families will prefer to keep their children at home until summer holidays," anticipates the director, who recalls that "given the obligation of education, these families will have to maintain a regular link with the school, in the framework of pedagogical continuity maintained at a distance by the teachers ”.
"In Paris, there is no desire to return children to school," annoys AFP the LREM counselor from Paris close to Cédric Villani, Anne-Christine Lang. For the elected representative, also a member of parliament and member of the education committee, “everyone knew that at some point the school would reopen. When we are normal, we wonder how we are going to reopen, we develop scenarios, hypotheses ... There, no! ”.
