Society

There has been consternation in France after images surfaced from the Frères-Voisins kindergarten in Paris' 15th arrondissement. The video showed a kindergarten teacher punching a three-year-old student in the back and then pouring liquid over her. 

The parents of the girl, who only went to school for the first time last week, filed a complaint with police. The Nanterre prosecutor's office opened a preliminary investigation.

The three-year-old girl said after the first day of school that the teacher had kicked her in the back, but the mother thought the girl was probably exaggerating because a first day of school is always an emotional event. 

But when the mother went to pick up her daughter at school again the following day, she was approached by another parent. That mother showed her a video from the day before. The footage showed how the girl was crying, after which she was slapped hard on the back by an adult woman. The student was then cornered, after which the teacher poured a product on the girl. “Does it do any good like this?”, the teacher is said to have asked.

The scene was filmed by the mother of another student. The teacher would not have been aware of her presence and filming at the time.

The teacher in question had reportedly been teaching in this kindergarten already for 10 years.

The teacher in question was received by the school principal and district superintendent on Sept. 6. The woman reportedly admitted the facts and apologized to the family. She is no longer in the classroom in the meantime, but on Tuesday Education Minister Nicole Belloubet called for the opening of disciplinary proceedings and the immediate suspension of the teacher. A criminal investigation and an administrative inquiry were launched, which may lead to a disciplinary board.

(FVDV for Tagtik/Source: BFMTV/Illustration: Unsplash)