the parents of the high school student say they are “outraged and frightened” by the letter from the rectorate

“We were outraged and appalled to receive such letters.” The parents of Nicolas, the teenager who committed suicide at the start of the school year in Poissy (Yvelines), denounced, Monday September 18, the letters sent to them by the administration. After they complained about the harassment suffered by their son, the rectorate criticized their attitude “unacceptable” and mentioned the criminal risks of inaccurate reporting.

>> What we know about the suicide in Poissy of a 15-year-old teenager who had reported “acts of harassment” at school

Béatrice, the mother, said she had not yet decided whether she was going to file a complaint. “Before making this decision, we are awaiting the results of the investigations and the actions that will be taken by the government”she explained to AFP.

A first suicide attempt in January

The Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, described “shocking” the tone of the missive. “This letter is a shame, a shame”, for his part declared the Minister of National Education, Gabriel Attal, who ordered an administrative investigation. For the teenager’s mother, these official reactions showed that finally, their “son was recognized in his suffering and harassment”. Nicolas committed suicide on September 5, upon returning to a new establishment.

By mid-October 2022, Nicolas’s parents had understood that their son was being harassed and had alerted the teaching team. In mid-March, they learned from his psychologist that their son had attempted suicide in January. “It was at that moment that we put everything in motion to help our son: handrail, meeting with the principal, exchange of letters, etc.”, according to the mother. After a first meeting with the teaching team, the parents sent a new letter to the principal. They only received letters warning them in response. “We still do not know if a sanction, even symbolic, was issued against the harassers”she laments.