From this Monday until May 22, seven unions representing Parisian after-school staff are calling for a strike. The movement targets morning and evening childcare programs and recreation centers—the often-overlooked services that keep families running smoothly. The inter-union group says it is not convinced by the €20 million plan presented by the new mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, and describes a climate that has worsened in schools since the revelations in the fall of 2025 of physical and sexual abuse against children.
In the corridors, the discontent is crystallizing around one practice: suspensions decided as soon as a complaint is filed, even for incidents deemed minor. Éric Leclerc, director of after-school care and representative of the Supap-FSU union, summarized the system on France Inter radio: "The slightest email from a dissatisfied parent will lead to a suspension." He speaks of teams "on the verge of collapse," and lumps together commonplace scenes—a children's fight, a raised voice, helping a kindergarten student—all professional actions that, according to him, could backfire on the staff.
Caught between protecting children and presuming fault, schools are under pressure.
On France Culture, Alexandre Herzog, a CGT union representative, also contested the "automatic suspension" following a report and demanded a response that distinguishes between a raised voice and a deliberate attack on a child's well-being. On the other side, the "zero tolerance" stance is defended by Barka Zerouali, co-founder of the #MeTooÉcole collective, who considers precautionary measures legitimate while the facts are being verified. In Paris, the predicament is palpable: immediate protection is essential, but without fostering a culture of constant suspicion where every adult becomes a potential risk.
From the city's perspective, the mayor's office stands by its decision. Anne-Claire Boux explains that the suspension aims to "avoid taking any risks" when a report could lead to a formal complaint, and that it applies during the investigation phase. The practical questions remain: who will supervise the children when part of the after-school program is suspended, how will service continuity be organized depending on the scale of the disruption, and how long can this precautionary approach last without further eroding trust between parents, staff, and the institution?
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