Charline Avenel, the former rector of Versailles, presents “an apology to the parents of Nicolas”, 15 years old, who committed suicide at the start of the school year, in her name and in the name of the institution she headed at the time of the events, describing this letter as“inadmissible”. In an interview published Saturday September 23 by The Parisianshe claims that she had no “not aware” controversial letter sent by the rectorate to the teenager’s parents who denounced acts of harassment against him.
“I regret not having been aware of these letters and not having been able to ensure that the distress of the families was taken into account”, declares the former rector in the columns of the Ile-de-France daily. She was at the time ” on leave “as well as his deputy, but assures that ” this has nothing to do with “ with this lack of information.
“I was devastated to learn of the death of this student. When I discovered the existence of this letter a week ago in the press, I was devastated., she declares. Contacted by Agence France-Presse, Charline Avenel added that she did not wish to comment further on this matter. “immediately”.
The Versailles rectorate implicated in another case
In the interview, she explains that she also did not know that a letter of the same ilk had also been sent to a family who had reported a sexual assault at the beginning of the year on their little girl by an after-school leader in Andrésy (Yvelines). “I validated the principle of letters addressed to families which threaten teachers”letters called “comminatory” to which national education personnel may have access to recall legal provisions.
“But never for correspondence with families whose children are victims of harassment. I discovered that these letters of disapproval were sent, and I fear in large numbers, indiscriminately, to families in distress”she admitted.
She clarified at this stage that she cannot say whether these shipments fall within “a human error or a systemic problem that goes beyond the Versailles academy”.
The administration’s responses to the families of Nicolas and the little girl who accused a host of sexual violence sparked strong reactions within the government, which described it as ” shame “ the first letter revealed and “strongly condemned” the second.
The Minister of National Education announced the launch of an audit on the management of cases of harassment from September 2022 to September 2023 in each academy. Gabriel Attal “will go to the Versailles rectorate on Monday morning to take stock with the new rector”appointed in mid-July, announced Rue de Grenelle.