In Saint-Jean-du-Gard, the question of the school suspended at a meeting with the National Education

Les parents ont reçu le soutien du maire de la commune Pierre Aiguillon (au centre). DR

Since December 5, parents of students have been demonstrating, every day of opening, in front of the elementary school of the commune to protest against the announced closure of two classes in September 2025.

Towards a way out of a conflict that has lasted for almost a month ?

On December 5, parents of students at the Saint-Jean-du-Gard primary school launched a mobilization that is still ongoing today. Until the school holidays, they occupied the entrance forecourt of the school every day that it was open to show their opposition to the announced closure of two classes for the start of the school year in September 2025: one in kindergarten and one in elementary school. Parents fear an overload of classes, the school has about a hundred pupils in elementary school and 57 in nursery school.

A supervised interview

Supported by the mayor, Pierre Aiguillon, as well as by the departmental elected representative of the canton, Isabelle Fardoux-Jouve, the parents of pupils indicate that an initial dialogue with the National Education is planned for Friday 10 January with the assistant to the academic director of the national education services of Gard (DASEN), Christophe Mauny. This interview, according to one of his previous statements on this subject, would allow for a better assessment of the situation of the school and its possible closures, while recalling the drop of “4 000 fewer primary school pupils in the Gard” since the 2010s.

By then, parents plan to continue their occupation of the school entrance as soon as classes return on Monday 6 January, and even plan to “block the school if the DASEN's response is not satisfactory”.

At the same time, the parents of mobilised pupils also want to point out “the unsanitary conditions” of prefabricated premises, still installed in the playground and used by the teams since the renovation of the school following the discovery of radon in the pipes.