A secondary school teacher in south-eastern France was left in a critical condition on Tuesday after being stabbed by a 14-year-old pupil. The 60-year-old female art teacher was stabbed three to four times in her chest in front of around 20 other students, according to a local official. The pupil fled the classroom before being caught in the schoolyard and was later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Toulon's public prosecutor, Raphaël Balland, reported that the suspect did not appear to have religious or political motives. He mentioned, All we know is that there had been tensions with this teacher recently, and he was angry with her.
La Guicharde school was evacuated following the attack, and Wednesday's lessons were cancelled, as confirmed by a regional education official. France's Education Minister Edouard Geffray expressed his condolences, stating, My thoughts immediately go to the victim, her family, and the entire educational community, whose deep shock I share.
This incident marks a troubling addition to a series of attacks inside French schools over the past years. Notably, in 2025, a 14-year-old was charged with the murder of a teaching assistant after allegedly stabbing her. In April of this year, a student fatally harmed a girl and wounded several others in a knife attack in the city of Nantes. The tragic murder of teacher Samuel Paty in 2020, which was driven by religious extremism, further emphasizes the ongoing issue of violence in educational settings.}
Toulon's public prosecutor, Raphaël Balland, reported that the suspect did not appear to have religious or political motives. He mentioned, All we know is that there had been tensions with this teacher recently, and he was angry with her.
La Guicharde school was evacuated following the attack, and Wednesday's lessons were cancelled, as confirmed by a regional education official. France's Education Minister Edouard Geffray expressed his condolences, stating, My thoughts immediately go to the victim, her family, and the entire educational community, whose deep shock I share.
This incident marks a troubling addition to a series of attacks inside French schools over the past years. Notably, in 2025, a 14-year-old was charged with the murder of a teaching assistant after allegedly stabbing her. In April of this year, a student fatally harmed a girl and wounded several others in a knife attack in the city of Nantes. The tragic murder of teacher Samuel Paty in 2020, which was driven by religious extremism, further emphasizes the ongoing issue of violence in educational settings.}
