School Principal Sparks Outrage Over Muslim Teachers’ Holiday Absence Disclosure

This behavior of the school principal constitutes "a serious breach of privacy and protection of agents," denounced on Tuesday, June 17th the inter-union FSU, CGT, SUD, CNT of Seine-Saint-Denis, stressing that "by exposing the reason for their absence, which is perfectly legal and authorized by the hierarchy, these colleagues have been put in danger."

For the unions, "this disclosure contravenes the fundamental principles of the public service, in particular the respect of the principle of secularism, which implies both the neutrality of the State and the guarantee of the freedom of conscience of the agents." The inter-union expressed its "full and complete" support for their colleagues, also thanking the parents of students and the municipality for their "clear and unambiguous support" in the face of "this unjustified stigmatization" of the agents.

The unions also deplored the "doubtful parallel" made with the "Normandy landings of 1944," indicating that this rhetoric echoes "racist and conspiracy theories, such as the "great replacement," and contributes to a worrying trivialization of Islamophobic discourse."

"In a national context marked by a resurgence of Islamophobia, it is urgent to reaffirm the principles of respect, equality and non-discrimination," the unions insisted, calling on the administration to "guarantee unwavering protection for its agents, as provided for in their status" and to "take the necessary measures to put an end to such practices."

For its part, the Créteil academy condemned "an unauthorized and unacceptable publication." "We can post absent teachers to inform parents, but in no case can we give personal information about the reason for the absence, such as a medical reason. With the rules on secularism, it is even more serious to mention religious reasons," the academy specified to BFMTV.