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A 14-year-old pupil fatally stabbed a school staff member during a routine bag check on Tuesday at a middle school in eastern France, officials said. The teenager was arrested at the scene.
The incident occurred at Françoise Dolto School in Nogent, near Dijon.
A police officer assisting with the bag checks sustained minor injuries while apprehending the suspect, who used the same knife in both attacks, according to the National Gendarmerie.
President Emmanuel Macron condemned the act as “senseless violence,” writing in a post on X: “While she was looking after our children in Nogent, an educational assistant lost her life. The nation is in mourning and the government is mobilised to reduce crime.”
Though deadly incidents in French schools are rare, there is growing concern about violence on campuses. In response, the Education Ministry introduced bag checks earlier this year.
Over two months this spring, officials confiscated 186 knives and detained 32 individuals, the Interior Ministry reported.
Prosecutor Denis Devallois confirmed that the suspect had no prior criminal record. Education Minister Élisabeth Borne said the boy had been involved in the school’s anti-bullying initiative and was previously suspended briefly for classroom disruption.
The stabbing occurred just outside the school gate, where the 31-year-old educational assistant was standing alongside police officers conducting checks.
Classes were suspended for the day and counselling was made available for pupils and staff.
A fellow classmate described the 14-year-old as “normal” but occasionally “a little bizarre,” adding that they never thought he would be capable of such an attack, according to local media reports.
The incident follows a similar tragedy in April, when a student stabbed four classmates in western France, killing one.
That attack prompted the prime minister to call for stricter measures to combat knife violence in schools.
