Toulouse: unfinished work on back-to-school day, teachers forced to clean up themselves
The day before the start of the school year, the teachers of the Dupont elementary school were not sure of being able to welcome the students in good conditions. The school, under construction during the summer, finished being cleaned this Thursday only.
For the students of the Dupont elementary school, it’s time to reunite or discover their class. But in the yard where they are gathered, their parents wonder. Wednesday afternoon, on the eve of the start of the school year, they received a message from the teachers informing them of their difficulty in “welcoming the children calmly” on D-Day. In question, the work undertaken during the summer to install an elevator,
a toilet and a technical room within the establishment which, on August 31, had still not been completed. “The state of the school does not allow the children to be accommodated in basic conditions of hygiene and safety. The cleaning of the school could not take place. All parts of the school are still saturated with dust. Among the adults, three are affected by respiratory discomfort ”, explained in their message the teachers who notified their hierarchy of their right of withdrawal. Under pressure from parents, the educational team and unions, the town hall of Toulouse has used major means to solve the problem. She resorted Wednesday evening to a private cleaning company to sanitize the premises. Municipal agents were still hard at work between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. on the day of the new school year.
“Lack of foresight”
Upon their arrival, the parents of students were able to see that the courtyard and the classes were clean, but they do not understand the “lack of anticipation” of the town hall. “Without our intervention, we wonder if the start of the school year could have taken place in good conditions. We are grateful to the teaching team for taking care of the well-being of our children and we have asked the City for a precise timetable and above all better coordination for the work which must continue over All Saints’ Day, the Christmas holidays and may -be even in February”, explains Eva Kremer, parent delegate at the Dupont school.
For the teachers, on the other hand, who had to clean their classrooms themselves, the lost time could not be made up for. “We couldn’t do our two pre-entry days because the school was under construction. At times, the agents responsible for cleaning while the work was still taking place, did not even have water to do so. In cupboards and storage there is still a lot of dust. The rectorate should have taken the measure of things and postponed the start of the school year by one day on an exceptional basis, ”regrets one of the teachers. The academy inspector, present on the day of the start of the school year, did not wish to speak.