By Lea Mina | Staff Writer and Elvira Abi Zeid | Junior Editor
On Wednesday, February 22, a shocking incident took place in a school in the French town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, where a student stabbed a teacher to death. The incident has sent shockwaves throughout the local community and beyond, raising questions about school safety and the well-being of students and teachers.
The incident occurred in Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic middle and secondary school in the southwestern seaside town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The student, whose identity has not been revealed, reportedly stabbed the teacher with a knife during class. The teacher, Agnes Lassalle, was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
Officials say the victim was a Spanish language teacher. A source with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters that the 16-year-old attacker said to another teacher that he was possessed and heard voices instructing him to carry out the attack.
Pap Ndiaye, the current French Education Minister, said on live television as he was at the site of the attack, “Nothing allowed to foresee such a horrendous event. The principal as well and the professor all told me that this establishment was a very calm one known for its seriousness and the serenity of its educational environment.”
Dr. Olivier Véran, the government spokesman, said that until now there is no obvious and identified motive for the killing. He did not comment on the current judicial investigation taking place but expressed and extended the government’s support to the entire educational community including teachers, principals, parents, and students while recognizing the grave impact and trauma this incident must have on the local and national community. A local newspaper reported that the student stood up in class and walked to the door before turning around and stabbing the teacher, citing two students who witnessed the attack. A local prosecutor said that the student was being held in custody and that a murder investigation is underway.
The reasons behind the attack are not yet clear, and investigations are underway to determine the motives of the student. The incident has sparked outrage among parents, students, and teachers, who have called for stricter security measures and better support for mental health and well-being in schools.
Ines, a 16-year-old schoolgirl who was in Lassalle’s class Wednesday, said that the suspect approached the teacher and “plunged a big knife into her chest without saying anything”.
On Thursday morning, students at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic middle and secondary school honored the memory of 52-year-old Agnes Lassalle, the victim of the recent incident, by bringing flowers, including white roses.
In the wake of the incident, local authorities have taken action to ensure the safety of students and teachers in schools. The attack has also reignited debates about the state of the education system in France whose scene has been rocked by violent attacks. The attack in Saint-Jean-de-Luz is the first killing of a teacher in France since the October 2020
beheading of Samuel Paty outside Paris by an Islamist radical. In July 2014, a 34-year-old teacher was stabbed to death in the southern town of Albi by the mother of a pupil. The perpetrator was later found to be legally irresponsible. A Jewish school was targeted in the attacks carried out by Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah around Toulouse in 2012, with a teacher and three pupils shot dead.
The educational landscape in France has been facing numerous challenges in recent years, including a rise in school violence and a shortage of resources for schools and teachers. Critics argue that the incident is a symptom of deeper issues within the education system, including a lack of funding, inadequate support for teachers, and a failure to address the underlying social and economic factors that contribute to student stress and anxiety.