Tuesday, September 1 marks the return to school benches in a very delicate health context. The Minister of National Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, described the different scenarios that will accompany this start of the school year to protect against the coronavirus and react in the event of positive cases in establishments.
- A health protocol has been put in place and provides for the obligation to wear a mask for all teachers and middle and high school students.
- If cases of Covid-19 positivity were to be deplored, schools could be closed spontaneously.
The start of the school year will take place on 1er September, confirmed Jean-Michel Blanquer, Minister of National Education, during a press conference on Wednesday August 26. “ I note that it is the expectation of parents of students and society“, he said in response to a poll in the Sunday newspaper where 79% of families acknowledged wanting to maintain this recovery date.
No postponement of the start of the school year: “From the start, I thought it was not a good idea”, explains @JMBlanquer #le79inter pic.twitter.com/jIjXCILidY
– France Inter (@franceinter) August 27, 2020
“Total responsiveness situation”
To accompany this return to the classroom, a health protocol has been set up. The latter describes the behaviors to be adopted in the establishments and is intended to be one of the “stricter” whoever, assured Jean-Michel Blanquer. It is written there that “wearing a ‘general public’ mask is compulsory for staff in the presence of students and their legal guardians as well as their colleagues, both in enclosed spaces and in outdoor spaces.” Regarding students, differences are made according to their age: for middle and high school students, wearing a mask is compulsory during lessons and recess; for primaries it is not recommended but “masks are available to equip children with symptoms while waiting for them to leave school”; for preschoolers,it is to be banned”.
.@JMBlanquer confirms that the mask will be compulsory for students and staff during recess in middle school and high school, only for primary school staff #le79inter pic.twitter.com/VvQhFZNMdz
– France Inter (@franceinter) August 27, 2020
If cases of Covid-19 positivity were to be deplored, schools could be closed. “On can make a decision in 48 hourssays Jean-Michel Blanquer. Everyone must understand this adaptability, it’s part of health security. Ihe great duty incumbent on us is to ensure that there are solutions for all families, with distance learning or childcare mechanisms..” In Paris or Marseille, where it circulates more than elsewhere, certain schools could, in a targeted manner, not open. For the time being, no establishment is concerned but this could go very quickly since the Minister of National Education claims to be in a situation of “total reactivity, so that from one day to the next we could have the closing of school, college or high school.”
In Marseille and Paris, schools could be closed “in a targeted manner” depending on the health situation: “We are in a situation of total reactivity”, assures @JMBlanquer #le79inter pic.twitter.com/LRC0oSr11W
– France Inter (@franceinter) August 27, 2020
New rating systems
To help teachers after a truncated end of the school year, an evaluation system has been put in place to monitor the level of students. “We have developed tools of two kinds: first to assess the level of students (…) and we are developing new ways to support children”, indicated Jean-Michel Blanquer on France Inter. The assessments mainly concern the classes of CP, CE1, 6and and 2of with a special emphasis on the first class of college. “It is an evaluation that allows you to look at things that you did not look at before. I am thinking in particular of the fluidity of reading.”
The school year will begin with a refresher said @JMBlanquer : “Each teacher is in a position to assess the level of his students and to adapt. Nevertheless, we have developed tools for this.” #le79inter pic.twitter.com/GCIqaqxPOq
– France Inter (@franceinter) August 27, 2020
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