French teacher on trial for allegedly harassing student who took her own life

A French school teacher is to appear in court on Monday and Tuesday after being accused of harassing an 11-year-old pupil who later took her own life.

Six years ago, Evaëlle’s father found his daughter dead in her bedroom in the northwest Parisian suburb of Herblay-sur-Seine.

He discovered diaries in which Evaëlle had written about being harassed at school, listing the names of people who had “bothered” her.

One of Evaëlle’s teachers — who denies the allegations — is suspected of harassment.

The teacher is alleged to have “regularly humiliated her in front of the class”, according to a court referral order seen by French outlet FranceInfo.

The document also stated that this “repeated behaviour“ led to “a very significant deterioration in the living conditions of the young girl, who became increasingly isolated and defensive”.

The teacher, who is being tried in the Pontoise Criminal Court, worked at a secondary school in the Val-d’Oise department, which Evaëlle attended for six months between September 2018 until February 2019.

The girl’s parents filed a police complaint over the teacher’s actions, and decided to move their daughter to a different school.

Evaëlle died in June 2019.