Security tightened as French students return to school
More than 12 million students began a new school year this morning amid tightened security following terrorist attacks in Paris, Nice and Brussels over the past 18 months.
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In preparation, authorities in Paris announced measures to improve security at schools by doubling the budget for security measures as France remains in a state of alert following the attacks.
Paris rentrée
This year's security budget has been doubled to €10.3 million for schools in the Paris region with €3 million already allocated to 130 schools in the region since January.
The new security measures follow threats made by the Islamic State armed group against schools carried it is December Dar al Islam magazine, which called for Muslim parents to pull their children out of French schools.
Valerie Pécresse, the head of the Ile-de-France region which includes Paris, said in a statement earlier this week that security for education establishments in the region would be her top priority.
Nice rentrée
Meanwhile, in Nice, where 86 people died in an attack on the scenic sea front on July 14, local authorities implemented a number of measures that went as far as preventing parents from entering schools with their children on the first day.
One parent told the French news agency AFP that they were stopped from entering the school by the Vigipirate service – army units that now patrol the streets of major cities - to prevent terrorists attacking groups of parents bringing children to school.
For the first time ever, the Minister for the Interior and the Minster for Education held a joint meeting in August to work out the details of the new security measures for children nationally, including the deployment of 3000 reservists and gendarmes, which was due to take place today.
Hollande’s rentrée
In all 6.81 million children will attend primary school (école), 3.33 million will be at middle school (collèges), and 2.26 million at high school (lycée) in over 63,000 schools across France today.
President Francois Hollande attended the first day of school as he does every year, this time choosing a school in Orleans which he visited with the Minister for Education, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem.
Speaking to parents and pupils he said that this year’s ‘rentree’ would not be like any other, referring to the security measures that have been put in place.
However, he said French people must continue to live their lives as normal even if schools where guarded by police and soldiers and in some cases surrounded by barriers.
His visit to Orleans was also marked by a number of protests who had gathered to protest about the recently enacted Labour Laws.
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