Having been informed of the blocking action carried out by pupils at a Brussels school in response to the interception of the flotilla for Gaza, Education Minister Valérie Glatigny asked her administration to send a circular to schools to remind them of the rules on compulsory schooling and to inform them of the stance to adopt regarding this type of action.
It is essential to remember that school is a place for learning citizenship and democratic debate. Pupils' emotions and commitment in the face of world events deserve to be heard within a framework that respects school rules. It is therefore recommended, where possible, to open supervised spaces for dialogue within schools, allowing pupils to express their opinions, ask questions and develop their critical thinking.
Nevertheless, taking part in blocking actions or refusing to attend classes for this type of protest cannot be regarded as a justified absence. Indeed, organising or taking part in such actions does not fall under Article 9 of the Decree of the Government of the French Community of 22 May 2014, which regulates school attendance and exhaustively specifies which absences can be considered justified.
“The education code does provide for cases of force majeure where schools are allowed to suspend classes, but this blocking action does not fall into that category. It is therefore worth reminding education teams who might face this type of situation of the exact rules, bearing in mind that hours of teaching not given must be made up,” the Education Minister stated.