Several right-wing mayors have suspended the thermal renovation of schools. In Valence, in the Drôme, primary school students are working under a recently installed ceiling fan to cool the air. The LR mayor of Besançon questioned the school renovation program launched by the outgoing Ecologists. Parents are organizing to protect children and staff from the effects of climate change. At exactly 8 o'clock, under a bright autumn sun, Robin Perrey hurries to park his cargo bike in front of the gate of the Velotte elementary school in Besançon (Doubs), where he brings his two children, aged 3 and 7. Initially scheduled for the end of June, during a heatwave, the school fair has been postponed to September. "It was too hot. The building, facing south, is poorly insulated and the school equipment is not adapted," said Robin Perrey. "Too hot" are also the first words that come to little Julie, who is in CM2, to describe the last weeks in class before the summer break. "We could no longer work. At first, there were no fans. I could no longer concentrate, I had a headache." The mayor of Besançon, Ludovic Fagaut (Les Républicains), stated during a press conference on June 23 that in all these schools, especially those that have been renovated, there is no temperature difference compared to the old schools. They are just as hot. Six months after his victory in the municipal elections, the Besançon mayor has questioned the usefulness of the Schools and Daycare Centers plan launched under the previous ecological mandate to renovate municipal school buildings, de-surface and green schoolyards. When questioned by France 3, Ludovic Fagaut also indicated that he did not want to continue with such projects. During the summer, the French government has also discreetly cut the funds of the heatwave emergency plan by 40 million euros. A parents' group called Écoles vivantes Besançon has formed to demand the continuation of an "ambitious and clear school renovation program, with figures, and included in the community budget starting in 2027" in order to protect the health of children and staff from the effects of climate change. "We are entitled to expect our mayor to give an appropriate and respectful response to parents who are legitimately worried about the inadequacy of the facilities in an extreme, dangerous, and potentially deadly situation," wrote the group in an open letter sent to the new municipality on September 16. Valérie Haller, a CE2-CM1 teacher at the La Viotte elementary school, noted a reduction of 6 to 8 °C during the hot days after renovation work completed in September 2025. "We can feel the difference!" she said. However, other Besançon schools have not fared as well. "Some teachers recorded up to 40 °C in their classroom," recalls Vincent Thiriet, a representative of the FSU-SNUIPP union. His union created an internet site, Météo des écoles, for teachers to report the temperatures they record in their schools. Pierrick, a member of the group and parent at the Paul Bert elementary school, confirmed that the building of his son's school is very old, and in June it was as hot inside as outside. This school has been under renovation since the start of the school year as part of the plan launched by the previous administration. "For us, everything will be resolved next summer. We cannot let other schools go through the same thing for the decades to come, it's irresponsible," he said. Pierre Boissenin, a professional architect and parent at the Bregille Plateau elementary school, proposed solutions to the municipality to cool the schools, including installing low-cost air circulators and wooden sunshades, de-surfacing the floors, greening at least half of the playground, and implementing various strategies to ventilate the schools at night. "They told me that the Bregille school is not a priority and that the Schools and Daycare Centers plan is suspended anyway. It lacks political courage," he said. The Écoles vivantes Besançon parents' group has not received a direct response from the city hall. "We no longer have time to wait. What we want is for the municipality to anticipate future heatwaves and continue the school building renovation imperatively," said Morgane Hamonet, a member of the group, who launched an online petition. The mother of three children, who are enrolled in three different schools in Besançon, said she is "very worried. It's not a whim or a caprice to want to welcome our children in decent conditions." Mayor Ludovic Fagaut claimed to share this concern, stating on LinkedIn on September 4 that he wants to "act concretely for the children, support families, and gradually adapt our schools to the challenges they face in summer and winter." Contacted several times by Reporterre, by email and by phone, the mayor did not answer questions. On the steps of the Velotte elementary school, Béatrice casts one last glance toward her daughter Julie, who is playing on the asphalt playground. "We need a political wake-up call. We can clearly see that it's no longer just the summer period that has become much less peaceful, heatwaves are from May to September! Now, the question is: how do we organize our society around these new climatic realities?"