The “Minister of Open Schools”: Jean-Michel Blanquer has never worn his nickname so well. While a section of the teaching staff and health professionals demanded not the closure of classes but a postponement of the start of the school year set for January 3, the time to see if the Omicron variant leads to this “Disorganization of society” mentioned by the scientific council, the government is closing ranks around the “Blanquer line” : “We will not postpone the start of the school year”, announced the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, on December 27, at the end of a marathon day punctuated by a council of ministers and a defense council, specifying that“There will be no distancing in middle and high schools”.
A point won for the good student of Macronie? The contaminations curves in schools will tell, over the next few days, if the calculation made is the right one… or not. But, on the school grounds, on the eve of a return to school deemed to be at risk, while the incidence rate of 6-10 year olds is close to 800 cases per 100,000, slogans of“Social alert” and strike calls began to circulate.
“What are the upper levels of the health protocol for?” [il en compte quatre] if we do not activate them when the contagion among children flies? “, wonder, in numbers, the teachers. Used to rule changes “Friday for Monday”, many still hoped, on the eve of New Year’s Eve, to obtain some clarifications from their supervising minister. They came, this Sunday, January 2, from the Minister of Health: to return to class, the “Recourse for students potentially [cas] contact will be three consecutive tests ”, announced Olivier Véran, promising an official communication from his counterpart to national education this Monday – the day of the start of the school year. Positive students will remain in isolation for seven days.
Guest of France Inter, on December 28, Jean-Michel Blanquer paved the way: elementary school students where a positive case for SARS-CoV-2 has been identified may soon have to present “At least two tests [négatifs] several days apart “, against one currently, to return to class, he announced then. Three will have to be presented: a PCR or antigen test followed by two self-tests (on “D + 2” and “D + 4”), specifies the “JDD”. A declaration on the honor of the parents will attest to the achievement.
“The meaning of school”
Waiter, M. Blanquer, he who has so often been described as a « bulldozer » ? In his essay Open school, published by Gallimard in September, he was pleased that the epidemic had “Forced to find the meaning of school”. A quarter later, as two variants swept over the territory, the tone became more cautious.
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