Anduze schoolchildren deprived of their playground due to endless work

La véritable cour d'école est, depuis juillet, en chantier. Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Since September, the 157 students of the elementary school have been parked in a small temporary courtyard during their recess, exceeding the students' parents.

Noon strikes. A few minutes later, like every lunch break during the week, some of the children from the André-Clavel primary school, in the heart of Anduze, leave the canteen and classrooms to let off steam as they do. should be outdoors. 

However, since September, students have spent their recess in rue des Vielles Ecoles. A small axis in front of the establishment of barely 300m2, delimited by fences, with a ground made of bitumen and gravel and without a courtyard. Hanging on the walls, two tarpaulins display a comparison severe: "Recreation = prison." "All the parents compare the place to a prison walk", support Marie Guinot and Benjamin Meurin, representatives of the parents of students .

Since last summer, the historic schoolyard, on the other side of the building, has literally been turned upside down and is unusable. The fault lies with a construction site interrupted since July 18, and still not restarted. 

A combination of unforeseen events and hassles

At the end of the previous school year, the town hall had launched major renovation work which was missing in the main courtyard of the school, which had been several decades old. They had to end for classes to resume. However, a few days after the start of the work, the workers came across large abandoned underground cellars under the ground where the children were playing. An unforeseen event which poses a major risk to the continuity of the work.

In the process, residents of adjacent buildings alerted of the appearance of cracks in their homes. Caused, according to them, by the vibrations emitted by the construction site. 

Immediately, the town hall stopped everything to assess the risks. "We entered a cycle of expertise&quot ;, regrets the mayor of Anduze, Geneviève Blanc. A preventive referral, involving the work of an expert, was launched to assess the risks and the resumption of work. The report, according to the elected official, should be delivered by mid-March. 

The students take turns in the courtyard to avoid being too numerous on site. Midi Free – ALEXIS BETHUNE

The temporary schoolyard is compared to "that of a prison" by parents. Midi Free – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Tensions with parents

The long wait is enough to electrify the relationship between the municipality and the parents, who do not hide their anger when they see the space in which their children play during breaks.

"We first fought to keep this space clean!", protests Marie Guinot. Although fenced, the temporary courtyard was littered with cigarette butts and animal droppings. Dissatisfied with the town hall's response to this first problem, she went so far as to leave a bag full of droppings on the desk of the education deputy, Henri Lacroix. nbsp;

Beyond the emotion aroused by the reception of the present, the elected officials reorganized to make the place clean. But parents and school management still point out many problems: children "more agitated" compared to previous years, a restricted and mixed toilet space, the absence of play structures in the temporary courtyard and above all shade. "Here, we are under the sun from 10:30 a.m., says another parent. End of the year, when it's hot, they're going to be in full heat!"

Towards the end of the tunnel ?

Accepting the criticism as best he can, Henri Lacroix assures that he wants to resolve the situation as quickly as possible: "We tried to be transparent in a very complex situation. " For shading, an arrangement should be made quickly: "It's a small investment, but not a big technical problem. We won't let the children cook under the sun." For play structures, it's just as complex: " Parents want to hang sneaker hoops. But unfortunately we don't install them like that. This also involves security notices."

Residents report cracks which, according to them, occurred after the work. Midi Free – ALEXIS BETHUNE

For the rest, the town hall also says it is suspended from the publication of the expert's report to then see how to fill the cellars and resume the work while limiting their vibrations . Geneviève Blanc also assures that other solutions for recess had been proposed: "The children could go to the nearby Parc des Cordeliers, or to the stadium. This was recommended by the academy inspector. Alternatives, however, are complicated to put in place for 20-minute breaks requiring different supervision for the safety of children.

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