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French Education Ministry Admits ‘Institutional Failure’ in Support for Harassed School Director

The finding leaves Caroline Grandjean’s widow pursuing a harassment case that seeks to establish individual responsibility.

Overview

  • The administrative inquiry concluded that support for Caroline Grandjean fell short, citing decisions experienced as injustices, including the refusal of an RQTH-linked points bonus that deprived her of needed recognition.
  • The ministry announced it will strengthen training for managers on psychological distress and handle human-resources processes with greater humanity and discernment.
  • Grandjean, 42, died by suicide on September 1, 2025, after nearly two years of homophobic harassment in Moussages, where slurs were found on school walls.
  • A judicial probe into the graffiti and threats was closed in March 2025 for lack of new facts, and the perpetrators were never identified.
  • Her spouse, Christine Grandjean-Paccoud, welcomed acknowledgment of institutional failure but lamented the absence of named individuals and has filed a harassment complaint targeting the Education Ministry and the village mayor; unions S2DE and Snuipp-FSU pointed to long-noted HR shortcomings.