The Prefecture of Essonne ordered a permanent closure of the French private school group “La Lumière du Savoir” (Light of Knowledge) in Corbeil-Essonnes municipality in France on Tuesday, citing failings in terms of “safety and compliance” with educational requirements regarding the common base of knowledge.
The school, which runs from kindergarten to high school, was reportedly unsatisfactory, and persistent safety problems had been noted, wrote France 3.
The prefecture’s decision was strongly contested by the school and its lawyer, Nabil Boudi, who described the reasons for closure as “false and misleading”.
The school’s board of directors defended the quality of its pedagogical practices, including Montessori and Singaporean methods, as well as an accelerated pathway for the best-performing students and reinforced support for those in difficulty.
On the subject of security, the school claims that its perimeter is secure, with CCTV and a strict access protocol.
The closure comes at the height of the exam period, affecting almost 300 students and around 30 employees. The school has denounced the state’s political manipulation of the situation.
Following the decision, two appeals have been lodged with the administrative courts to contest the closure and obtain the reopening of the school as a matter of urgency.
The Prefecture of Essonne has assured the parents of the pupils will be helped by the Versailles Academy to find new schools.
“After more than ten years of existence, backed by its very good results in national exams, the Lumière du Savoir school group is confident that our country’s administrative justice system will uphold the law, justice, and the best interests of children,” said the Board of Directors in a statement.
The closure of the private denominational school in Corbeil-Essonnes is far from an isolated case. The Avicenne Muslim High School in Nice was threatened with closure in February 2024, but the administrative court suspended the closure order in mid-April.
This case comes on the heels of a similar decision concerning the Lycée Averroès in Lille, which was deprived of subsidies by the State, a decision validated by the administrative court in February 2024.
Each of these schools is accused of not conforming to the values of the Republic (secularism) and a lack of financial transparency.