A former mathematics teacher at the heart of a significant investigation into violence and pedocriminality in France has once again implicated Prime Minister François Bayrou and his wife in failing to address reports of abuse at the Notre-Dame-de-Bétharram school. In a video released on February 20, 2025, by Mediapart, the teacher claims the Bayrou couple ignored her warnings about the mistreatment of students.
The teacher, who worked at the Catholic institution from 1994 to 1996, was among the first to raise alarms about the violence occurring there. She recounted her experiences to Mediapart, describing repeatedly witnessing “unusually aggressive behavior” toward students, which she reported to François Bayrou, then a government minister and president of the council general, without receiving any response.
During her tenure, the teacher recalls a distressing incident where she heard an adult screaming at a child, accompanied by sounds of physical violence. She approached Elisabeth Bayrou, who taught catechism at the school, asking what could be done, only to receive a dismissive response that implied the children were less deserving of concern.
The teacher also shared an encounter from 1995, where she expressed her worries directly to François Bayrou during a ceremony in Pau, the city where he served as mayor. She urged him to take action regarding the serious situation at Bétharram, to which he reportedly replied, “Yes, we are dramatizing.”
Despite these allegations, François Bayrou has consistently denied any prior knowledge of the abuses, both in the National Assembly and in media statements. The Pau prosecutor’s office has received over a hundred complaints concerning the case. Recently, two former supervisors at the school were detained, while custody of a former nonagenarian priest has concluded.
The victims, who were children or adolescents at the time, have described repeated instances of forced sexual acts, corporal punishment, threats, and humiliation. The three men involved, born in 1931, 1955, and 1965, were arrested on charges of aggravated rape, sexual assault, and violence.
In response to the scandal, a parliamentary inquiry commission has been established to examine the French state’s oversight of violence in educational institutions. The appointment of the commission’s rapporteur(s) is scheduled for March 5.
