Advertisement

Parents in France won't be forced to send children back to school after lockdown

The Local France
The Local France - [email protected]
Parents in France won't be forced to send children back to school after lockdown
Photo: AFP

Parents will not be forced to send their children back to school when they reopen after May 11th, French President Emmanuel Macron has decided.

Advertisement

"It will be parents who get the final word," Macron said on Thursday, according to France Télévisions.

The president made the announcement during a meeting with local officials and mayors, set up consult on the government's strategy to unwind the nationwide strict lockdown.

From May 11th, schools in France will gradually open and workers will begin to go back to work. But the president now said that parents would not have to send their child back to class if they worried about their health.

EXPLAINED: What we know about France's plan to reopen schools

Advertisement

Some classes will start before others and local officials given discretion over reopening.

The government has said supplies of masks and hand gel for pupils and teachers should also be in place before a school can reopen.

But many parents and teachers were still worried that it was too early, and that children would be both at the risk of getting the coronavirus themselves and to spread the virus at home.

The French government had been keen to reopen schools in order that vulnerable and disadvantaged children, many of whom have been unable to take advance of home-education offers, can be brought back into education.

READ ALSO 'It's too soon' - parents in France worry about sending children back to school in May

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also