Val-d’Oise: Three Women Excluded from a School Intervention due to Their Headscarves

On March 12, an educational activity at Le Petit Bois secondary school in Pierrelaye (Val-d’Oise) was canceled after a request was made for the intervening women wearing headscarves to remove them, under the 2004 law prohibiting religious symbols in public schools. Three out of twenty interveners were wearing headscarves, but according to the organizing company, this law does not apply to external interveners, except in cases of public teaching missions. The decision was deemed ‘discriminatory and unjustified’ by one of the interveners, who believes that the law does not concern them. However, the Versailles Academy confirmed that the principal was within her rights, invoking the religious neutrality required by secularism in public service. Yet, Julien Ezonga, the president of La Pépiite, explained that the Departmental Council had been consulted on this matter and the response had clearly been negative regarding any restrictions on wearing headgear. But ultimately, the Departmental Council reacted by indicating that the college principal, as head of the institution, was indeed within her rights. This is obviously false.

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