Bed bugs were discovered at the Elisa-Lemonnier high school in Paris. Faced with the authorities’ refusal to close the educational institution, the teachers are citing the “right of withdrawal”, reports Le Figaro.

Infestation of bed bugs in ParisPhoto: Laure Boyer/AFP/Profimedia Images

Bed bugs continue to invade the capital. On Thursday, at the Elisa-Lemonnier high school (Paris 12), they scared a significant number of students and teachers, who preferred to go home, using the “right to deduct”, the publication notes.

The warning came Wednesday evening when several pests were spotted in the high school’s Document and Information Center (DIC). The director then called in a “detective company” who intervened on Thursday morning “until 8am,” according to Le Parisien. After confirming a few areas of infestation that were off limits, bed bug treatment began.

At the moment, the authorities do not want to close the secondary school because “at this stage there would not be much risk”. But are teachers obliged to continue lessons? From the director’s point of view, the unit “can remain open” and the absence must be “justified”, according to Le Parisien.

However, the teachers referred to the “right of withdrawal”, which allows the employee to refuse to go to work or leave it without the prior consent of the employer or if the situation at work poses a serious and imminent danger to his life. or for his health, according to the French administration.

“At 8 o’clock, students and teachers stayed outside, on the sidewalk. The teachers declared their right to refuse (…) None of the 80 teachers who were supposed to be at work came to class,” a high school teacher told AFP.

In a message sent to high school teachers Thursday afternoon, the principal said the pest control company mobilized this afternoon is again involved.

On Friday, the contaminated areas will be closed “until disinfection”, but the rest of the high school will be “available for the reception of students and teachers”, emphasizes the principal, saying that “the unit remains open and everyone must work. “.

At least two schools, a college in Marseille and a primary school in Villefranche-sur-Saône (Rhône), have been closed in recent days after the bugs were discovered.