School Director Caroline Grandjean, Who Died by Suicide after Homophobic Harassment, to be Laid to Rest Thursday
Saint-Vincent-de-Salers, France - The funeral for Caroline Grandjean, the director and teacher of a school in Cantal who died by suicide on Monday, September 1, will be held this Thursday at noon at the Saint-Cernin crematorium, approximately forty kilometers from her home in Saint-Vincent-de-Salers. Grandjean, who lived discreetly with her wife, had been on sick leave since the start of the 2024 school year after facing homophobic insults and threats from an unidentified individual.
The tragedy has prompted an outpouring of grief and calls for action within the French education community. A Facebook group for school directors is organizing a minute of silence in schools across France at the time of the funeral. “At noon, I will return the students to their parents and then I will observe a moment of meditation with my colleague for Caroline,” stated a director of a small school in western France.
Grandjean had led the Unique Moussages class in the isolated village of 250 inhabitants until 2024.Her descent into despair has deeply affected her colleagues. “It upset me,” said a Parisian school director. “His loneliness had to be terrible. In the borough where I work, we have a group of speech by directors. We find ourselves, we talk about what prevents us, some sometimes cry…”
The case has also drawn criticism of the Education Ministry’s response. “I am angry,” said a school director in southern france.”Again the ministry is below everything.” In response to concerns about potential failures within the administrative chain, Minister of education Élisabeth Borne announced Tuesday evening the opening of an administrative investigation.
Meanwhile, a fundraising effort launched by the group of school directors for Grandjean’s family has already surpassed 11,000 euros.
