Le Figaro Nice
Over time, it has become one of the trademarks of the mayor of Nice. When it comes to evoking his management of the city or the relations he maintains with his citizens, it is always "as a good father" that Christian Estrosi likes to express himself. Has he not yet repeated to the assembly invited in one of the salons of the City Hall Wednesday afternoon that "a mayor is a bit like the second father of the children of his commune."
About fifty middle school students, accompanied by at least one of their parents, attended, a little after 17:30 p.m., the first collective meeting of the Council of Rights and Duties of Families (CDDF) of the City under its new operating by-law. Minors all concerned by absenteeism and dropping out of school that the mayor was responsible for calling to order, as well as their relatives.
Launched in Nice in 2010 (a first in France) under the impetus of the Minister of Education Luc Chatel, the CDDF results from the law on the prevention of delinquency of 5 March 2007, placing the mayor as a pivot in this area and establishing the Local Council for Security and Prevention of Delinquency. As a forum for dialogue and proximity, the CDDF aims to identify parents and minors in difficulty, to seek solutions with them by meeting their needs while reminding them of their obligations.
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Voted by the municipal council on April 14, the new internal regulations of the CDDF advocate a gradation of the measures taken to compensate for school dropout. To do this, whenever a pupil (primary or secondary) accumulates more than five half-days of unjustified absences, schools are instructed to report to the rectorate, which sends two warning letters to the families concerned.
2500 minors in Nice with truancy out of 48,000
If this is not enough, the CDDF is notified and a new letter sent to the parents or holders of parental authority of the young person concerned, reminding them of the obligation of attendance and good behaviour. If the child of the recipients of this letter is still absent or still behaves inappropriately, they are summoned to a collective meeting to remind them of the obligation of school attendance as well as compliance with the regulations, the sanctions to which they are exposed in case of non-compliance and the proposals for support from the CDDF if necessary. These collective meetings (two to three per month) take place during the school holidays and are chaired by the mayor or his representative and if possible, in the presence of one or more members of the CDDF (municipal police, prosecutor's office, municipal center for social action of the city, etc.).
Finally, in the event that the first two phases of the Council prove ineffective, the young people and their relatives are summoned by the body chaired by the mayor or his representative for an individual interview. As a last resort, if the family does not show up or does not respect its commitments, an information to the public prosecutor's office and/or a report to the Alpes-Maritimes departmental council as part of its child protection mission can be carried out.
There are now 13-year-old kids who are used by the kingpins and who escape the cycle of education
Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice.
Among the 105 minors accompanied by the CDDF last year, 50% would have returned to school, according to the town hall. Still, they would still be nearly 2500 minors in Nice in a situation of truancy out of 48,000. "The causes of dropping out are evolving with our society: increasingly frequent and early incivilities, failing parental authority, single-parent families, external harmful influences, trivialization of localized violence around places of trafficking ...", recalled Christian Estrosi in front of his audience, more or less attentive.
"There are now 13-year-old kids who are used by the kingpins and who escape the cycle of education," he noted, pointing to the essential commitment of parents. And to insist on a serious tone: "We must avoid at all costs to fall into the spiral of the irreversible to ruin a whole life." The first magistrate of the city concluded his speech with a note of hope, saying he believed "in a youth that takes its destiny in hand. Children are our greatest hope for the future!
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