There is no question of closing schools: it is the leitmotif of the Macron government which has made maintaining children’s education a priority during the health crisis which continues to paralyze the country. But are all the precautions taken in schools? The deputy (EELV) in charge of Health at the town hall of Paris Anne Souyris wants the Rectorate to take the opportunity to strengthen epidemic control measures in schools. “School is one of the main keys to limiting the circulation of the virus. It is absolutely necessary to apply the barrier tests. Today, the Rectorate carries out saliva tests but mainly in the established list of so-called “sentinel” schools intended to monitor the progression of the epidemic. These tests should now be organized as a priority where clusters appear so that these tests become a real tool for controlling the epidemic, ”insisted Anne Souyris on Thursday even before the announcement of a third confinement by Prime Minister Jean Castex.
Tests from this Friday in 20th century schools
This week, in the Surmelin and Bretonneau schools (XXth) where the positive cases multiplied at the beginning of the week, the Rectorate announced a saliva test operation for… March 30. Finally, an AP-HP team will be dispatched this Friday to test the children and teachers present and will return on Monday to test the children who return from isolation. But this Thursday, it was in the 17th century, at the Renaudes school that a new beginning of a cluster appeared. “Out of 10 classes two are closed. Five teachers are positive, 7 Atsem also and a few cases of positive children have emerged. This Thursday morning, I asked the Rectorate for a saliva test operation, but I’m still waiting for the answer, ”notes Geoffroy Boulard, the mayor (LR) of the 17th century. “The number of saliva tests is increasing, we have carried out 4,200 this week, we will do 4,800. In establishments where positive cases are increasing, we will be more reactive”, promises Antoine Destres, the director of the academy from Paris.
Lots of sick teachers
A recurring problem in schools affected by the epidemic: when a teacher is positive he is not always replaced. The Rectorate and the Ministry of Education refuse to give details on the current number of teachers absent and not replaced. “The tension is high,” admits the director of the Paris academy. “We had authorization to recruit additional replacements but that does not cover all of the absences,” concedes Antoine Destres. And in the absence of a teacher, the students who cannot stay at home are dispatched to the other classes. “This leads to a” mixing “of students in contradiction with the health protocol recommended to prevent the spread of the epidemic! »Worries Anne Souyris. From where the reiterated proposal of the town hall of Paris to use places of the city to avoid these mixtures or even to split the classes. “We must take action! We have passed a list of 373 places to loosen classrooms it must be done now! »Insists Anne Souyris.
Outdoor lessons still under study
For the moment, the Rectorate has decided not to use these additional spaces. “This solution would suppose to have supervisory staff for these places and would mean that we are no longer able to take care of the children on our own. We are not there yet, ”judges the director of the Paris academy. The idea of doing class outside as the mayor (PS) Anne Hidalgo suggested three weeks ago is however under study. “A census of schools adjoining usable outdoor spaces is underway,” explains the director of the Paris academy, who recalls working in close collaboration with the city’s services.
In the meantime, the City has decided to continue the deployment of CO2 sensors to ensure regular ventilation of classrooms. Some 507 devices have already been installed. “The idea is really to generalize so that the ventilation of the rooms becomes a habit”, explains Anne Souyris.
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