The juvenile court in Dijon sentenced 17-year-old Antoni (last name undisclosed) on Thursday, February 26, 2026, to four years in prison, two of which were suspended, for making knife threats against the school principal in 2024. The sentence is lower than the five years in prison requested by the prosecutor. The minor was 15 years old at the time of the incident and faced up to 20 years in prison. The attack took place on March 15, 2024, at the Édouard-Herriot middle school in the town of Chenôve. According to the account of an English teacher, who was also a target of his actions, the student tried to break down the door to her classroom, which was locked after an alarm was announced. The court established that before the attack, the student gave the principal a list containing allusions to the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015. The case fits into a broader discussion about the safety of school staff in France after a series of knife incidents in educational institutions. As a possible social context, it is noted that the school is located in a priority education zone.

Juvenile court verdict

The juvenile court in Dijon issued a sentencing verdict for the now-seventeen-year-old, who was fourteen at the time, to four years in prison, two of which were suspended with probation. The prosecution requested five years in prison with a two-year probationary period. The maximum penalty for this offense was 20 years in prison.

Course of the school attack

On March 15, 2024, a third-year middle school student in Chenôve, aged 15, first threatened the school principal and then headed with a knife in hand towards the classroom of his English teacher. The principal in the meantime triggered an anti-terrorism alarm, which allowed the teacher to lock the classroom door. The student tried to break it down before being detained by the police.

Letter with allusions to terrorist attacks

Before pulling out the knife, the student handed the principal a letter in which he mentioned "taking hostages" and his "brothers who died on November 18, 2015." This date refers to the police raid conducted several days after the terrorist attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis. The court and media considered this thread as an important motivational context for the event.

Testimony of the English teacher

The teacher, against whom the student directed his aggression, in an interview with BFMTV before the trial expressed deep conviction that her life was in serious danger at that time. Her testimony and details about the safety procedures taken after the alarm was triggered illustrate the scale of the threat.

Context of school safety

The incident is one of several recent knife attacks in French schools. A recent article in Le Monde discusses the broader phenomenon in which teachers are beginning to perceive their profession as a "high-risk profession." The case raises questions about the effectiveness of protection systems and psychological support in educational institutions, especially in so-called priority education zones.

The juvenile court in Dijon issued a verdict on Thursday, February 26, 2026, in the case of 17-year-old Antoni (last name undisclosed), who as a fifteen-year-old threatened his middle school principal with a knife. He was sentenced to four years in prison, two of which were suspended with a probationary period. The penalty is slightly lower than the five years in prison requested by the prosecution, also with a two-year suspension. The maximum penalty for such offenses was twenty years in prison. The case was heard behind closed doors, and the details of the verdict were provided to the media by lawyers after the trial. In France, juvenile courts adjudicate cases involving individuals aged 13 to 18. This system, established after World War II, emphasizes re-education and upbringing, but in the case of serious crimes, it is possible to impose harsher penalties, even similar to those for adults. The incident occurred on March 15, 2024, at the Édouard-Herriot middle school in Chenôve, a town adjacent to Dijon. The school is located in a district covered by a priority program (priority education zone). The student, previously excluded from English class, was directed to the principal's office. There, he handed the principal a letter in which he wrote about "taking hostages" and mentioned his "brothers who died on November 18, 2015." This date is a direct reference to the police raid in Saint-Denis, which took place five days after the series of terrorist attacks in Paris. He then pulled out a knife and pointed it at the principal, who managed to escape and trigger an anti-terrorism alarm. „Je pense qu'il m'aurait tuée ce jour-là. Je n'ai aucun doute là-dessus.” (I think he would have killed me that day. I have no doubt about that.) — Stéphanie, English teacher After leaving the principal's office, the student went with the knife in hand towards the classroom of his English teacher, Ms. Stéphanie (who appears anonymously). Thanks to the activated alarm, the teacher managed to lock the classroom door and cover the windows. As she later testified before the trial, she heard the student trying to break down the door. In an interview with BFMTV, she expressed deep conviction that her life was directly threatened at that time. The attack was only stopped by the police who arrived on the scene. The case fits into a broader, worrying trend in France. As reported by Le Monde, after a series of knife incidents in schools, some teachers have begun to perceive their work as a "high-risk profession." The debate on safety in educational institutions, especially in challenging environments, has regained relevance.

Mentioned People

  • Anton — Now seventeen-year-old student sentenced for knife threats against the school administration in Chenôve.
  • Stéphanie — English teacher at the Édouard-Herriot middle school in Chenôve, who was the target of the student's attack.