Two school heads interviewed by franceinfo deplore an “untenable” situation, as high schools have remained blocked for several weeks. One of them, in charge of a Paris establishment, acknowledged on Thursday, November 12, that he had been overwhelmed by emotion.
Since October 1, his high school has been blocked almost daily. He must contend with families exasperated by lost classes and with high school students determined to continue their movement, while keeping the school running without provoking an escalation.
In one school complex, the blockades have followed one another for a month and a half. The second principal, also interviewed anonymously, estimates the number of disrupted days at 16 or 17.
The two officials are concerned about the consequences for teaching. “Three weeks is 3,000 hours of classes across my school. How do you expect us to make that up?” the Paris principal told franceinfo.
The first principal says he tried several times to suspend classes for a few hours, hoping to resume them once access had been cleared. When he finally decided to suspend them for the day, the blockers quickly left the premises, but parents showed up to demand that the school reopen.
His teachers thanked him for his handling of the crisis and reminded families that the students were the primary victims of the blockades. Despite these difficulties, the two principals say they are still able to talk with their students.
They nevertheless feel that part of the school community no longer dares to openly oppose the blockades. The other school head mentions colleagues challenged by some teachers, particularly when they initiate disciplinary proceedings after acts of vandalism.
The two principals interviewed have been relatively spared physical violence and vandalism. The first nonetheless mentions school heads targeted by mortar fire and repeated clashes outside certain Paris high schools.
The SNPDEN-Unsa condemns the assault on a colleague in Bègles, in Gironde, who was injured in the head by a projectile. On Thursday morning, several high schools in Montpellier were targeted by deliberately set fires.