Relations between parents and teachers have grown more strained in recent years, with disagreements often arising over communication, teaching methods, academic performance, or student behavior. Both sides frequently report such conflicts. For example, Marine, mother of Gustave, a six-year-old in a primary school in Île-de-France, described an incident where her son was given an old bicycle with faulty brakes during a cycling workshop. The bicycle caused a crash that injured a classmate. The school administration responded by saying the bicycle would be replaced but did not take responsibility for the incident, leaving parents feeling disrespected. A survey by the union SE-Unsa, published in June 2026, highlights the growing tensions. It found that 8 out of 10 school principals had faced at least one dispute with a parent in 2025, compared to 4 out of 10 in 2013. The survey also revealed that 4 out of 10 principals believe parents do not recognize their authority, up from 2 out of 10 in 2013. Additionally, 50% of principals reported receiving insults, compared to 23% in 2013, and 60% said they had been threatened by parents, compared to 27% in 2013. A small but notable increase saw 2.5% of principals reporting physical aggression, compared to 0.7% in 2013. Since the start of the 2026 school year, media have reported several incidents involving threats and aggression. On September 14, a parent was detained for threatening a monitor at Albert Camus middle school in Eysines, near Bordeaux. On the same day, a parent in a school in the Yonne region sent threats to a principal and teacher, who will face trial on December 10 for "threatening a person in charge of a public service mission." Earlier, on September 4, a teacher in a commune near Toulouse was threatened with decapitation by a parent, who was later sentenced to six months in prison. The prosecutor of Toulouse, David Charmatz, noted that students had not returned to class for a week due to the threats, stressing the need for a strong message of zero tolerance for such violence. Three teachers have lost their lives in the course of their duties in recent years: Samuel Paty, Dominique Bernard, and Agnès Lassalle. Georges Fotinos, author of the SE-Unsa survey, attributes the rising tensions to growing individualism, where many parents see themselves as consumers of a service rather than partners in education. He also points to a growing distrust of institutions, with only 57% of principals believing parents respect the authority of teachers over their children, down from 76% in 2013. More than a third of principals now believe female teachers are less respected than male teachers, up from 18% in 2013. Mustafa Ozcelik, vice-president of the Federation of Parents' Councils (FCPE), notes that increased class sizes and societal tensions have contributed to the situation. However, the SE-Unsa survey suggests that in schools with REP (Priority Education Network) status—those with more resources and support—parent-school relations are less strained. Proposed solutions include providing more resources to the National Education system and improving communication between parents and schools. Ozcelik suggests scheduling meetings at times more convenient for parents and helping them understand how schools operate. Fotinos proposes a National Parents-School Day to foster better understanding. In response to the deteriorating relations, the government introduced a new Parents-School charter focused on mutual respect, dialogue, coeducation, and engagement. A "parental decree" published on July 29, 2026, allows for the transfer of a student if their parent "seriously compromises" the "normal functioning" of the school. The FCPE criticized this decree, arguing it risks harming a child's personal development and psychological well-being. The decree has already led to school transfers, but its effectiveness in resolving conflicts remains unclear.