Facing student protests, the government is pushing for dialogue to address the ongoing crisis in schools. The Minister of National Education, Édouard Geffray, has urged school principals since Tuesday to engage in "internal democracy" with their students. However, this process is fraught with challenges due to the high tension currently present in many schools. Before even considering dialogue, some principals must first decide whether to reopen their schools. On Wednesday, October 7, 528 of the country's 3,700 schools remained completely or partially closed. These closures began on October 1 to ensure the safety of students and staff, often after incidents of violence and property damage near school gates. Now, principals must assess whether the situation has improved enough to allow for a safe return of students. In some cases, reopening is impossible due to damage caused during the blockades. "When fire safety systems no longer function or the gates are too damaged, the safety conditions required by law are not met," said Christelle Kauffmann, deputy general secretary of the main union of school principals, the SNPDEN-Unsa. Some regions have already started investing in solutions, but this process takes time. According to the minister, 30,000 high school students are currently unable to attend in-person classes due to the damage caused by the protests. The estimated cost of this damage is "several tens of millions of euros." Before opening, school principals must also ensure that they are not facing new violent protests. To help them make decisions, they can rely on local networks, parents, and teachers, as well as the police and local intelligence services, who sometimes have information about planned demonstrations. "But certainty is difficult to obtain," insists Christelle Kauffmann. She adds that it would be pointless to open schools only to close them again the next day if that's not feasible. School principals also intend to communicate in advance of the students' return. "It is necessary to reassure parents who inevitably ask for explanations," she said. "Be able to explain to them, especially when the blockades have been very severe, that their child will be safe." On the side of the Snalc, a teachers' union, caution is also advised. "The priority is to ensure the safety of students and staff," said Maxime Reppert, vice-president of the Snalc teachers' union. Beyond safety, the union representative emphasizes the importance of ensuring pedagogical continuity. "There must be a continuous link between the teacher and the students in their class. Ideally, this should be done through an open school, but if not, distance learning can be a temporary solution," said the teacher. However, in secondary education, organizing classes via video is often complicated by connection difficulties, lack of student attention, and reduced interactivity. "Some teachers provide classes via video, but many prefer to send PDFs and exercises," continued Maxime Reppert. Should these methods be chosen, or take the risk of opening and facing another blockade? "The answer is not obvious, and is determined on a case-by-case basis," he said.