Overview
- The trial opened November 25 in Thonon-les-Bains, where the former PE teacher is charged with involuntary manslaughter over the 2020 collapse and death of 12-year-old Baptiste during an endurance test.
- The public prosecutor requested a two-year prison term fully suspended, describing a fault he considered characterized.
- The defendant said the pupil told him "between two doors" about a heart issue, denied knowing of a formal exemption, and blamed poor visibility in the Pronote software for not seeing the certificate.
- Baptiste’s parents said they provided medical certificates from the start of secondary school and argue an exempt child should not have been allowed to run, as policy limited such pupils to ancillary tasks like timekeeping.
- Prosecutions against other staff were dropped and later upheld by the Cour de cassation, and the court scheduled a January 27 verdict as the family signals a potential administrative case against the Education Ministry.