Has your child not felt well since returning to school? What are the admissible reasons for changing class? Maître Clerc, specialized in education law, answers us.
After the start of the school year, some students may not acclimatize to their new class. Because they don’t feel good in this new environment, because they find themselves alone without their friends, because they are afraid of being bothered by some of their classmates… Various reasons which push these children to ask their parents to make them change class. According to the reasons presented, the class change request may be accepted or refused by the school principal. Lighting with Maître Théo Clerc, from the Clerc lawyer firm in Paris.
What are the valid reasons for changing classes?
To obtain a change of class, it is essential that the parents provide valid and defensible reasons. Indeed, a request to change class has little chance of being accepted if the student simply wishes to have lessons on Wednesday afternoon. “You should know that in law, the change of class is not framed by a text of law“, explains lawyer Théo Clerc. It is up to the school administration to accept or refuse the request. Generally, several reasons are admissibleespecially if:
- The child is a victim of school bullying.
- The child is in pain (stress, anxieties, etc.) and that a doctor or a psychologist justifies it in a letter.
- The child has difficulties with a teacher (humiliating remarks that undermine the student’s health and schooling).
- The child lives far away and carpools. “We can consider that this could affect the schooling of the student and his family organization.”
- The child has committed wrongful acts (disrupts the course of classes, insults and blows towards classmates or teachers, damage to property, etc.).
“The change of class is not framed by a text of law”.
Can we request a change of class to be with our friends?
The education lawyer also mentions the fact that the change of class to be with his friends can be a “legitimate requestgranted directly by the establishments, in particular when there is a passage from CM2 to 6th.
Moreover, school support or shared custody with a student being in another class are arguments that can be presented to the headteacher.
What are the reasons that can be refused to change class?
There is no specific reason that can be refused when a parent requests a class change for their child. “It is specific to each school. In itself, all the reasons mentioned above can be refused. This will depend on the policies that are put in place in the establishments”, nuance Me Clerc.
For request a class changethe parents of the student can write a letter “or ask for an appointment with the school administration.” As a first step, the lawyer advises parents to start a dialogue with their child’s main teacher. On this occasion, you will be able to explain what motivates your child’s request and “develop the consequences that the situation has on the student”, notes the lawyer. In writing, the request must be formal. Parents must put forward a solid argument by explaining the reason(s) that lead the child to want to change class.
Thanks to Me Théo Clerc, lawyer in Paris, specialized in education law and public law.