A vaccination campaign through middle and high schools: it will begin at the start of the school year for students over 12 who wish, announced on August 22 the Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer in an interview with the JDD.

The protocol adopted for the return to school on September 2 in metropolitan France is that known as “level 2“: face-to-face lessons in schools, colleges and high schools, indoor mask compulsory from primary school, limitation of mixing by level and reinforced ventilation.

“The protocol is lighter than last June, especially in terms of school catering (…) while the incidence rate is higher among students because of the delta variant“, lamented in a tweet Guislaine David, general secretary of Snuipp-FSU, the first primary union.

Read also: Covid: primary schools play a minor role in transmission, according to pediatricians

Organization of vaccination

While vaccination is open in France to over 12s, “in all middle and high schools in France, students and staff will have access to the vaccine, near or within their establishment“, also indicated the Minister of National Education, in an interview granted to the Journal du Dimanche.

“Depending on the situation, either mobile teams will come to vaccinate in the establishments, or we will organize the movement of volunteer students, in connection with the health services, to the vaccination centers.“, he clarified.

About 55% of 12-17 year olds have already received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine since this summer.

“Who will supervise the operations?”

“Level 2 of the protocol in metropolitan France but few answers on the rest: who will supervise the vaccination operations? (…) What policy of tests in the second degree?“, asks the Snes-FSU, the first secondary school union, on Twitter.

The government “did not invest in a number of things, either in personnel or in equipment“, worried about LCI Jean-Rémi Girard, president of Snalc (National Union of high schools, colleges, schools and higher).

No health pass

For teachers, Jean-Michel Blanquer judged “neither legitimate, nor desirable, nor useful“to require a health pass, preferring to bet on”a logic of trust and responsibility.”

In the event of contamination in a class, the isolation period of seven days, therefore of a distant school, will not be required for the vaccinated pupils, “the same rule as for the rest of the population“, argued the minister.

“An unvaccinated student is at greater risk than a student who has received at least one injection. Asking him to stay at home in case of risky contact is to protect him and protect others“, he explained.

Parents’ certificate

In the primary, children not old enough to be vaccinated, the rule remains the closure of the entire class for seven days in the event of contamination.

To protect medical secrecy, the pupil’s vaccination status will be communicated on the basis of a certificate of vaccination from the parents.

Finally, with regard to school trips, students will not be asked for a health pass in places where they are not mixed with the public (swimming pools or libraries). But as of September 30, it will be requested, from 12 years old in places that require it.