School harassment: the response must be "relentless", says Attal

July 27, 2023

The new Minister of National Education Gabriel Attal believes that the response to school bullying must be “relentless” and announces that he will take two decrees to this effect, in an interview with Midi Libre published Thursday evening.

“Before the start of the school year, I will take two important decrees”, indicates the minister, while school harassment was made a national priority after the suicide in May of Lindsay, 13, in Pas-de-Calais.

“The first will allow the change of school of a pupil responsible for bullying rather than imposing this change on the one who is the victim”. This measure, already mentioned by his predecessor Pap Ndiaye, is, according to Mr. Attal, “highly awaited by families” and “a measure of justice”.

“Then, I will give the possibility of pronouncing disciplinary sanctions against a student who is the cause of cyberbullying against a student from another establishment, which is not possible today. “, continues Mr. Attal.

The former Minister of Public Accounts also leads, “at the request of the Prime Minister, an interministerial plan to fight against school harassment” which will be presented “at the start of the school year”.

As he had done just after his appointment, Mr. Attal said he wanted “the return of full respect for authority in the school of the Republic”.

Asked about religious clothing, in particular the wearing of abayas (long traditional dress covering the body), he indicated that he had already answered several months ago: “Coming to school in an abaya is a religious gesture, aimed at testing the resistance of the Republic on the secular sanctuary that the School must constitute”, he said, promising to be “firm on this subject”.

As for the wearing of the uniform, the minister claims to be in favor of experiments “if the educational community of an establishment” requests it, noting that this is already the case in certain establishments overseas.

But, he adds, “I’m realistic. Can you imagine that it would be a magic bullet to solve all the problems on its own? I don’t think so.”