But where have they gone?
Of the 202,006 children expected in primary schools in Seine-Saint-Denis for this start of the school year, 3,900 did not set foot in school on Tuesday 1 September, according to the rectorate of Créteil (Seine-Saint -Denis, Val-de-Marne and Seine-et-Marne).
A problem feared by the rector of the academy, since during his press conference back to school on August 27, Daniel Auverlot had indicated that his services would "be very vigilant" about the presence of all children in class.
"With the confinement, we fear that some families have unlearned school," he feared, indicating that all those absent would be "contacted to find out why they are not there".
“This figure represents the difference between the forecasts we made, which take into account the enrollments and demographic changes forecast by the municipalities and the actual presence of children in class.
Every year, forecasts are higher, recalls the Academic Direction of Seine-Saint-Denis.
Even if this year, the differential is more important.
"
"It is generally around 800. So at this level, there is sure to be a problem", underlines Clémentine Autain, Member of Parliament (LFI) of the 11th district of Seine-Saint-Denis, who has attended a meeting this week in the prefecture bringing together elected officials from the department and the rector of the academy of Créteil.
A meeting during which Daniel Auverlot raised this question.
500 missing children in Saint-Denis
“Absences are more numerous in the most disadvantaged areas.
In Saint-Denis thus, 500 children are missing.
We must quickly know what has become of them, ”blows the elected representative, which calls into question the government.
"By leaving the choice or not to put their child back to school at the start of deconfinement, it has shifted over to families and has reinforced parents' mistrust of the educational institution", she vilified.
On May 28, Seine-Saint-Denis thus had one of the worst rates of return to school: 8% against 27% in Yvelines.
"In Saint-Denis, there could have been moves or postponements to private schools this year," says Leyla Temel, deputy mayor (Generation. S) for Education who must meet with the rectorate in the days to come up.
"We are closing classes because the kids are not there"
“The National Education did not anticipate this start of the new school year, also criticizes Alixe Rivière, co-president of the federation of parents of FCPE 93 students. It's still crazy that so many children are missing!
We do not know if they have moved, if they are afraid to come back because of the Covid-19.
There was no work done upstream to get in touch with families.
In the meantime, we are closing classes because the kids are not there.
"
In Pantin, the parents of pupils of the Sadi-Carnot school have planned to demonstrate this Monday in front of their establishment to protest against the closure of a double-level class CM 1 / CM 2 decided after the start of the school year.
“Sixteen children who were enrolled in school were not in class this week.
If they come back, how will we do it?
Asks Jean-Baptiste, a father.
Home school or dropout?
"We took into account the missing students when we decided to open or close a class after the start of the school year," assures the academic direction, adding that its services are fully mobilized to find absent children.
"If the students have moved, we will end up finding out by crossing the information that will soon come from other departments."
It will also take some time to see if any parents have made more homeschooling this year, with only education compulsory between ages 3 and 16.
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The academic management will also work with the cities - which have more information on the constitution of homes - to see if there could be students who are simply out of school.
And then convince the parents to put them back in class.
According to the law for a school of confidence, the fact “of not enrolling a child in an educational establishment, without valid excuse, despite a formal notice from the authority of the State […] is punished by six months imprisonment and a € 7,500 fine ”.