“It’s hard for the youngest”

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Deprived of comforters. Thursday November 7, 2024, around 12:30 p.m., while the students of Belzunce school are playing in the courtyard after having eaten, the firefighters evacuate the premises. In a few hours, 240 people, including 130 children, left 3, rue de Belzunce, in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.

A broken thermometer

The reason? Mercury was spilled on the ground in part of the establishment. It all started a few days earlier, when tests revealed the presence of a slightly higher rate than the average in a classroom. Experts believe a thermometer in a cabinet is the cause. The decision is made to get rid of the furniture on Wednesday November 6, 2024.

But, the next day, the tests showed a even higher rate. It turns out that, during the move, although managed by a specialized company, the cupboard fell and mercury spilled on the floor. It was a school day, the kids were there and some of them walked in.

Considering the toxicity of the substance, the evacuation of the entire building is ordered on Thursday November 7, 2024. To avoid taking any risks and in haste, all the personal effects of the students and the educational team were left on site.

Navigo pass, dental appliances…

School bags, pencils, kits and pens are therefore abandoned. Aside from their school materials, the children also left without their more personal possessions, including “soft toys and pacifiers” for the little ones and “keys, Navigo passes, even dental braces and glasses” for the older ones, confides has Paris news Diane Gagnantco-president of the FCPE and parent of a student.

On the health side, no contamination has yet been reported. “It's just hardware, but it's going to have a financial cost for certain families,” she laments.

No reopening date

Will schoolchildren soon be able to find their comfort toys? Nothing is less certain. For the moment, the school is closed until end of the week and no reopening date has been given, confides Diane Gagnant.

In the meantime, the students have been distributed according to their class in four establishments in the neighborhood: the Léon-Schwartzenberg nursery school, the Chabrol school, the Martel school and the Palissy college.

A real gymnastics for parents who have children at different levels. “It’s impossible to arrive at the same place on time, so teachers are understanding on delays,” explains Diane Gagnant. Solidarity was quickly organized with “the establishment of walking buses”.

Coverage of costs?

A transition that is more or less easy to live with, depending on the age of the schoolchildren. “It’s a little more complicated for kindergarteners, who have just found a rhythm. Finding themselves in a dormitory, a canteen and a class that they don't know is a little disturbing,” recognizes the co-president, who nevertheless underlines “the efficiency of the town hall which managed the situation very well” .

Now, parents are waiting for the green light to reinvest the premises and hope that their insurance companies will cover the costs incurred to buy back what is waiting patiently in the classrooms. The little ones, for their part, are crossing their fingers that their cuddly toys have not been mistreated by the cleaning teams.

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