In this Loire-Atlantique town, the threat of closing a class provokes the anger of parents

See my news
Follow Le Courrier du Pays de Retz

While workforce forecasts indicate a notable drop in the number of students for the 2025-2026 school year (from 112 to 102), parents of students at the René Cerclé school, in La Plaine-sur-Mer (Loire-Atlantique), are warning about the risk of closing a class while this school has already closed at the last school year.

School, “an essential role”

They recall the essential role of school, a place of learning, but also a place of socialization. For them, school is first criterion of attractiveness of a municipality for working families.

As in many coastal communities, the scarcity of land for new construction and the lack of rental housing encourages an exodus of families.

“A territory alive all year round”

“Our coastline is a territory alive all year round, whose attractiveness cannot be reduced to its tourist attraction alone. The republican principles of equality and access to public services must apply to everyone and everywhere, including in our coastal communities which cannot be reduced to their summer dimension alone,” they write in the letter addressed to the district inspector.

Remember that the municipality has 49% of second homes with 40% of people over 60 years old.

Last argument invoked, the future overload of double or even triple level classes while the government advocates the splitting of classes to promote academic success.

Support for students in difficulty and/or with specific needs, who should benefit from personalized monitoring, would also be undermined in this case.

“No decision has been made”

For its part, the National Education Inspectorate recalls “thatno decision has yet been made« .

It will depend on the distribution of positions throughout the territory, in order to allow, on the one hand, fair treatment of students, and on the other hand, the presence of teachers in the schools where the children are enrolled.

A demonstration on December 13

A petition has been posted online.

Parents of students are calling for a demonstration this Friday December 13, 2024 at 4:45 p.m. in front of the René Cerclé elementary school (opposite the bakery).

Parents invite the population to sign the online petition:

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.