It’s 10 o’clock that morning and Eliott is still sitting on the sofa, holding in his hand a pretty cuddly toy in the shape of a rat. At this time, the children his age are all in class. But not Eliott. This 3-year-old little guy was born with a rare genetic disease, called Brat1, which causes neurodevelopmental delay. Consequence: Eliott does not walk and does not speak. Particularly serious disabilities, which force his parents to take him to numerous medical appointments every week. But handicaps which do not prevent him from going to school. Well, in theory.
As Eliott is not independent, it is necessary for him to have a support person for a student with a disability, better known by the acronym AESH. The problem is that he doesn’t have one. Rather than deprive him of schooling, his parents decided to take him to school themselves, accompanying him to class to the detriment of their professional lives. A situation that they deplore, in a country which has made school compulsory from the age of 3 since a law adopted in 2019. “During the Paralympic Games, we heard a lot about inclusion. When I see what we’re going through… The daily life of a family with a child with a disability is already not easy. And there, we are given no means, nothing,” regrets Camille, the father.
In order not to deprive her son of school, his mother decided to accompany him. A strange feeling. While all the parents stop at the classroom door of the brand new Miriam Makeba school, in Rennes, Elodie must stay, working alongside a teacher and an Atsem (specialized territorial agent for nursery schools) who make their best to welcome his son. “This is not my place at all!” I’m not trained for that. It’s still strange to be there, among the other children. I am his mother, not his AESH. And then, I’m not going to be able to do it all the time! », deplores Élodie. If she has days of leave linked to her son’s disability, the caregiver cannot stack them either, especially since she loses out financially. “It annoys me to have to wait days for this. But I refuse to deprive him of school. We want him to experience this because it helps him progress. He is observing, he is having fun. I find him more and more at ease.”
The rectorate does not respond (to us either)
Less available, Camille will also accompany his son to class to offer him his two weekly half-days of school. “What hurts us is that we did everything we were asked to do. We put together our file, it was accepted. We left peacefully this summer but when we returned, the school director told us that she did not have AESH for Eliott,” regrets the father. Quietly, his boy looks out the window, intrigued by the vegetation which moves under the force of the wind. He is far from the storm that his parents have been experiencing for months. Especially since the start of the school year, the rectorate has not given them any news. “No one calls us back, we have no information,” denounces Camille. The family even learned that his file had been lost. Hardly surprising, the rectorate did not respond to us either. Requested several times, the Rennes academy has still not answered our questions about the lack of AESH. “Because the subject is very tense,” replies Emmanuelle Maray, departmental secretary of the FSU union.
So of course, Ille-et-Vilaine is not the only French department affected by this lack. But he is one of the worst. “We are one of the departments which suffers the most from the lack of places in specialized establishments (IME or ITEP in particular). This is believed to be the equivalent of 1,200 places. So obviously, it’s carried over to the school,” explains the trade unionist.
Elodie and Camille are therefore far from being the only ones in this situation. Not sure that this observation reassures them, however. In Ille-et-Vilaine alone, where the disability conference is currently being held, it is estimated that 100 AESH were missing in June. “But we have to add the 120 resignations we had during the summer,” slips Emmanuelle Maray. The head of the FSU criticizes “salaries of less than 1,000 euros” but also “the lack of recognition” which slows down vocations. “Teachers no longer have time to do things well. And the AESH are sometimes shown up like that, without anyone having explained to them what the child is suffering from.”
In France, it is estimated that 3,000 people would be needed to occupy these positions which were previously called “school care assistants” or AVS. “It’s difficult for everyone. For the children, for the parents, for the teachers but also for our agents because the Atsem are in great demand,” recognizes Gaëlle Rougier. The education assistant at the city of Rennes knows what she is talking about. Every year, she receives dozens of letters from families without solutions. “We know that we lack places in IME or ITEP. So we have children who end up in school by default.” The chosen one, however, refuses to “give up”. “All children can find a place at school. But it is at the national level that the question must be addressed. The problem is that we have had four ministers in a few years. Each time the cabinet is renewed, we have to start from scratch,” explains Gaëlle Rougier.
Finally a minister responsible for disability!
The absence finally corrected of a ministry dedicated to disability in the new government of Michel Barnier was not likely to reassure her. Before the late appointment of Horizons MP Charlotte Parmentier-Lecocq, all the associations dealing with inclusion feared that their demands would remain in vain. Especially since beyond just the means, there would undoubtedly be a long reflection to be made on these children suffering from disorders. “Ten or fifteen years ago, we had one or two per school. Today, it’s more like one or two per class. We hear all these suffering families. But we are not going to hold in the schools. If this does not change, the future will be very dark,” warns Emmanuelle Maray.
Without a solution, Camille and Elodie sent a letter of formal notice, the State not respecting its schooling obligations. “The letter was on the table for several days, we hesitated to send it. We didn’t want to come to that.” They are there. Like many others.