Paris After-School Programs: Grégoire Unveils Initial Measures Amidst Growing Concerns
Paris, April 3 – Emmanuel Grégoire, the newly appointed Mayor of Paris, on Friday announced his initial, highly anticipated measures concerning the city’s after-school programs. This move comes as the capital grapples with a surge in revelations of sexual assaults within its school system, a scandal that significantly impacted Grégoire’s recent mayoral campaign. He has declared this issue to be the “absolute priority” of his nascent mandate and has convened an extraordinary City Council meeting for mid-April to address the matter.
Urgent Action on Management and Transparency
Grégoire, who assumed office on Sunday, is expected to make these first announcements today. Speaking on franceinfo on Monday, he alluded to a “managerial change at all levels,” acknowledging that “there have already been displacements, changes, and suspensions” in response to previous shortcomings. During his campaign, the unified left-wing candidate (excluding LFI) had promised a “restructuring” of the sector, including the massive recruitment of 2,800 animators and a “big bang of transparency.” He aims to go “further” than the anti-sexual violence plan in schools initiated last autumn by the outgoing majority, which was widely deemed insufficient and poorly implemented.
Restoring Trust: Parental Expectations and Calls for Action
“We expect concrete actions quickly; there is a trust shock to be restored among parents,” warned Martin Raffet, president of FCPE Paris, who met with the new mayor on Monday alongside other collectives. Barka Zerouali, co-founder of #MeTooEcole, a collective behind an online petition with over 22,300 signatures, told AFP, “Only strong measures can regain some of the parents’ trust, who are very angry because we receive reports almost every day.” This collective is primarily calling for a “global administrative inquiry,” a demand previously made by the municipal opposition. #MeTooEcole also recommends a tripartite meeting between the city hall, the National Education Ministry, and the public prosecutor’s office to establish a “single reporting protocol.”
Strengthening Reporting Mechanisms and Agent Accountability
SOS Périscolaire, another collective, demands “the immediate implementation of a solid and known reporting process and chain in case of problems, for parents and agents,” with a dedicated contact person, explained Anne, co-founder of the collective, who wishes to remain anonymous. She also expects Emmanuel Grégoire to enforce measures already voted on by the City Council but “still not deployed,” such as a photo directory of agents, “whereas many animators use avatars.”
Political Pressure and Ministerial Involvement
Following the installation of the Paris City Council on Sunday, Rachida Dati and Grégory Canal, co-presidents of the new right-wing opposition group ‘Paris Liberté!’, called for the creation of an “information and evaluation mission (MIE)” on the organization and security of Parisian after-school programs. On Wednesday, Education Minister Edouard Geffray appointed Cristelle Gillard to the new position of Defender of Children’s Rights. This inspector general will be tasked with “ensuring that school and after-school programs can work together,” the minister explained.
Addressing Past Incidents and Future Reforms
In 2025, 30 animators were suspended in Paris, 16 of whom were due to suspicions of sexual misconduct, according to city hall figures. Since January, nine animators from a single kindergarten in the 7th arrondissement have been suspended for suspected physical and sexual violence. SOS Périscolaire advocates for an independent audit of the school and early childhood affairs districts (Caspe) in areas where cases have been concentrated, particularly the 7th and 11th arrondissements.
Emmanuel Grégoire also plans to convene a Parisian Citizen Convention to deliberate on a new time distribution, aiming for animators to be recruited for less fragmented periods to avoid excessive staff turnover. During his campaign, he emphasized the objective of adhering to the “absolute rule that no child is left with only one adult, nor any adult alone with several children,” estimating the cost of reforming the sector at between 5 and 7 million euros per year.
Source: https://actu.orange.fr/france/periscolaire-a-paris-gregoire-devoile-de-premieres-mesures-tres-attendues-CNT000002ocsf1.html
