Is a background of ambient racism spreading to the Bréquigny high school in Rennes? In any case, this is what a large number of teachers and educational staff at the largest high school in Brittany fear, as reported by Ouest-France. Thursday, December 12, the 14 teaching and educational staff members of the high school board of directors resigned from the body. A resignation which was accompanied by the walkout, the same day, of around a hundred teachers and educational staff.
The reason? Facts that took place in class and on social networks. “In recent weeks, Bréquigny high school has had to deal with insults and racist comments made by students against other students in the establishment. These facts are proven by screenshots, testimonies and confessions,” explains the CGT Educ’action in a press release.
A teacher slandered on social networks
At the same time, a teacher was the victim of identity theft by a second grade student on the social network TikTok. Racist remarks, which he did not make, were thus attributed to him. The suspected student admitted to having created this fake account. “This teacher had, in this same class, condemned the monkey cries uttered by another student against a black student while she was at the blackboard”, specifies Sophie Ollivier, professor of physics and chemistry, elected to resign of the board of directors and departmental co-secretary of CGT Educ’action.
If they denounce these facts, teachers are also up in arms about the sanction imposed on the student who created this fake TikTok account. Summoned to a disciplinary council on Wednesday December 11, the latter received a definitive dismissal… suspended. Not severe enough according to the elected officials who resigned from the board of directors. “Our colleague is off work and very affected by the situation. He asks himself the question of continuing to teach in Bréquigny,” says Sophie Ollivier. Who believes that, for the incriminated student too, “this is not the best solution. He is supposed to return to the same places. This can generate conflicts between students. »
“Sanctions not up to par”
According to the teachers, this sanction “is a very bad signal sent by our establishment: a simple reprieve and reprimands are sanctions which do not correspond to the facts in question. We cannot compromise and do things in half measures. The people in the establishment are all the more affected as Bréquigny is a very mixed high school.”
For its part, the rectorate indicates that this reprieve “means that this high school student was authorized to resume classes, in another class, on condition of having exemplary behavior. The principle being that if he does it again, the exclusion will be automatic and definitive. »
The principal of the Rennes establishment appealed the decision taken by the disciplinary council and requested a precautionary measure. The Secondary student is therefore, for the moment, not authorized to return to class. It is the academic disciplinary council which will rule on it.
