Mediatrice warns: School staff overwhelmed by students’ mental health crises

Paris – 08.07.2026: The Mediatrice of the Éducation nationale and of Higher Education sees France’s school system as structurally weak in dealing with psychological strain. In her 2025 annual report, presented on Wednesday and titled “Attention to Vulnerabilities, Acting for Mental Health”, she describes a combination of unclear responsibilities, patchy communication channels and unevenly distributed resources. Teachers, school social workers and administration are often not sufficiently trained or networked to recognise warning signs in time and to act appropriately.

The report compiles complaints and mediations from across the education sector. Recurrent situations include cases where information between schools, school physicians, psychologists and external health services does not flow or arrives too late. This leads to children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, depression or acute crises remaining without appropriate help for too long. Staff members also reported feeling overwhelmed, lacking orientation frameworks and uncertain about how to handle serious incidents.

The Mediatrice is particularly critical of the strong heterogeneity between regions and institutions: prevention and intervention services are well established in some places and hardly present in others. There is often a lack of systematic further training, clear reporting and handover processes, and reliable contact points for families. The consequence is loss of effectiveness in early detection, but also escalating conflicts when parents, school leadership and health services have different expectations or data protection issues are unresolved.

The ministry points to initial countermeasures. At the end of June 2026 a regulatory notice was published to provide schools with guidelines for identifying, referring and supporting students under psychological stress. In addition, a national Delegate for the Protection of Children at School was appointed to consolidate responsibilities and strengthen coordination with health and social services. The Mediatrice welcomes these steps but urges rapid implementation with verifiable stages and regular evaluation of effectiveness.

Specifically, she recommends nationwide training for educators, standardized reporting chains, reliable feedback from specialist services and low-threshold, clearly communicated access points for students and families. Administrative hurdles should be reduced without undermining data protection and confidentiality. Schools need sustainable regional networks, binding cooperation agreements and fixed time slots for interdisciplinary case discussions. Only in this way can the chronicisation of burdens among those affected be prevented and further pressure on staff avoided.

Ministries and subordinate bodies indicated a willingness to cooperate; however, the report does not specify deadlines or indicators in all areas. The Mediatrice notes: Without better coordinated procedures, clear responsibilities and greater legal certainty in everyday practice, the risk remains high that help will come too late. She advocates for closer integration of education and health to strengthen schools’ resilience and to noticeably speed up access to support.