The case upsets the school, less than two weeks after the start of the school year.
The mayor of the town of Laruscade in Gironde, Jean-Paul Labeyrie, is the target of two complaints filed for violence against children by parents of students, report our colleagues from France Bleu Gironde.
As a reminder, last May, the elected official had already been accused of having pulled out a knife in the playground.
The complaint was dismissed.
This time, one of the complaints was lodged by the parents of a child in fifth grade.
“Passing through the playground, before going to the canteen, the mayor asked him if it hurt to walk on his feet.
From what she told me, he did.
Then he asked her for confirmation.
To know if, indeed, she had felt any pain.
In order not to make matters worse, she said no, and things stayed there, ”the angry father told the local radio station.
"I decided to punish him"
Since this incident, the little girl would no longer go to the canteen at noon, and would no longer participate in extracurricular activities. For his part, the mayor pleads confusion and considers that they are "inventions". The other complaint this time concerns a little boy, considered turbulent, who was allegedly violently grabbed by the neck. A fact that the elected official conceded, explaining: “He kept sending the ball everywhere, doing whatever, so I decided to punish him. Indeed, I pushed him last under the courtyard by the neck. Let’s imagine that I could have hurt his ear, but I don’t think he had any changes observed by the doctor ”.
Extracurricular activities are managed by the town hall, which explains the presence of the elected official in the playground. But many parents of students see behind this presenteeism a now problematic excess of zeal. “I have never been violent with kids. I just helped them during the meridian break during the extracurricular time, with the games, and the rules of several sports ", defends the main person concerned, who considers these complaints more broadly as criticisms of" his action "and" his political ideas ”.