Violence at school

School Harassment: New Measures to Better Protect Harassed Students

Publié le null - Legal and Administrative Information Directorate (Prime Minister)

Change schools for bullying students and no longer for bullying victims; and allow for sanctions against high school and college students who engage in cyberbullying, including against students from schools other than their own. These are the objectives of two decrees issued on 17 August in Official Journal.

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Image 1Crédits: © Roman Bodnarchuk - Fotolia.com

Until now, it has not been possible to change schools for first-degree pupils (nursery and elementary schools) without their parents’ consent. Now, when keeping a student in a school poses a risk to the health or safety of other students, the Academic Director of National Education Services (DASEN) can ask the mayor to remove the student from his school.

Such a procedure for changing schools will take place if initial educational measures, such as dismissal from school for a maximum of five days, have not led to an improvement in the behavior of the pupil concerned.

The sanctioned pupil will be subject to enhanced pedagogical and educational follow-up at his new school until the end of the current school year.

Please note

If there is only one public school in the municipality, the pupil may be dismissed only if the mayor of another city agrees to enroll him in one of his schools.

In middle and high schools, disciplinary proceedings (reprimand, temporary or permanent exclusion...) may now be initiated when pupils commit acts of harassment, including cyberharassment, even against pupils attending schools other than their own.

Reminder

Generally speaking, harassment is defined as repeated violence that can be verbal, physical or psychological. At school, it is carried out by one or more students against a victim who cannot defend himself. These include children or teenagers who are insulted, threatened, beaten, shoved, or repeatedly sent abusive messages. With the constant use of new communication technologies (telephones, social networks), bullying between students continues outside school walls. It's called cyber-harassment.

Since Law No. 2022-299 of 2 March 2022 to combat bullying in schools, this phenomenon is recognized as a crime.

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