Parents take teachers hostage in French school
A group of parents have a taken a school headmistress and several teachers hostage in the town of Berre l’Etang in the south of France. The parents want one of the teachers fired.
"We are very worried that the pupils are falling behind in school. We think our children are in danger. That’s why we have decided to hold the headmistress and a couple of teachers hostage. We want things to change," said Christophe Planes, one of the parents, daily Le Figaro reports.
The fifteen adults occupying the school and holding several people hostage said they want the teacher in charge of their nine-year-old children to be fired.
The headmistress said relations with the teacher, who is in his first year of teaching, have been difficult. He is in charge of CM1 pupils (ages 9-10) in the Catholic school Notre-Dame de Caderot in Berre l’Etang.
The parents sid they are aware they risk legal action but insist their children have been "held hostage for several months".
Local education authorities have agreed to transfer the teacher to another school on Wednesday. The parents however said they want a written document promising his transfer.
Police visited the school on Monday to assess the situation but did not intervene.
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