School harassment in middle and high school
Verified 04 November 2025 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Is a student repeatedly subjected to verbal, moral or physical abuse by one or more other students? He is then a victim of school bullying. This is an offense punishable by law. Here is the information you need to know to deal with a situation of school harassment.
A pupil is a victim of school harassment when he suffers, repeatedly, of violence verbal, moral or physical from one or more other students.
These acts of violence are, for example, insults, mockery, bullying, rejection by a group, jostling, beatings, robberies.
School harassment can be committed inside or outside of the school.
Bullying in schools leads to worsening living conditions of the pupil. This includes anxiety, falling academic achievement and depression.
The situation differs depending on whether you are a victim, a parent of a victim or a witness to school harassment:
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Victim
You must prevent an adult from your school. You can, for example, alert the head teacher, a supervisor.
You also need to talk to your parents or someone in your family.
You can also get closer to a student ambassador for the fight against harassment in your school.
You can also contact the 3018, national number for victims of harassment.
This number allows you to report the problem of bullying you are a victim of. You will get advice and support to deal with the situation.
Who shall I contact
National number for victims of harassment
To ask your questions anonymously and confidentially about school harassment.
By phone
3018
Open 7 days a week, from 9am to 11pm
Free and anonymous call
Website
Victim's relative
You must contact the school management. You will be invited to present the situation of harassment experienced by your child.
You can also contact the 3018, national number for victims of harassment.
This number allows you to report the problem of bullying experienced by your child. You will get advice and support to deal with the situation.
Who shall I contact
National number for victims of harassment
To ask your questions anonymously and confidentially about school harassment.
By phone
3018
Open 7 days a week, from 9am to 11pm
Free and anonymous call
Website
Warning
Do not attempt to manage the problem yourself by contacting the perpetrator.
Witness
You must prevent an adult of the school. He will then take charge of the victim's situation. You can, for example, alert the head teacher, a supervisor.
You can also contact the 3018, national number for victims of harassment.
This number allows you to report the problem of bullying you are witnessing. You will get advice and support to deal with the situation.
Who shall I contact
National number for victims of harassment
To ask your questions anonymously and confidentially about school harassment.
By phone
3018
Open 7 days a week, from 9am to 11pm
Free and anonymous call
Website
The school's management must respect a protocol of care.
Infographie - Protocol for dealing with harassment in the second degree
Ouvrir l’image dans une nouvelle fenêtre
1- Detection of the situation of school harassment
When the head of the institution is informed of the existence of facts that may constitute harassment, he must discuss the situation with the harassment coordinator of the institution.
FYI
The harassment coordinator of the college or high school is responsible for implementing the anti-bullying program (PHARE) in the establishment.
Interview with the victim
The head teacher must invite the pupil concerned to explain in detail the situation he or she is experiencing.
The objective is to identify the facts that can be considered harassment and to identify the perpetrators.
Establishment of protective measures
Protective measures are immediately put in place for the victim:
- Identification of an adult referent (school staff, teacher for example) to exchange regularly with the victim
- Increased vigilance by informing all staff of the situation
- Mobilization of comrades close to the victim.
Interview with the victim's parents
The parents of the victim pupil are informed of the situation.
The management of the institution communicates to them the measures that will be put in place to deal with the problem.
They are involved in dealing with the situation and are informed of their rights.
2- Implementation of the harassment procedure
The head teacher and the harassment coordinator put in place various measures when a case of school harassment is found. This is the harassment procedure.
Reporting Harassment on application Facts establishment
The head of the school reports the situation of harassment on the application Establishment Facts. It specifies the actions taken. This makes it possible to inform departmental and academic referents in charge of harassment.
FYI
Harassment focal points are privileged interlocutors of families. They accompany them until the resolution of the situations.
In the event of serious and persistent harassment, the superintendent must report the facts to the public prosecutor.
Interview with perpetrators and witnesses of harassment
Witnesses, authors and their parents are received separately by the school's management. The aim is to identify precisely the problem of harassment in order to put in place appropriate measures.
It is also a matter for the management of the institution to make the author aware of the alleged facts and their consequences for the victim.
Follow-up of the student who is the victim of harassment
The head of the school inquires daily about the condition of the victim pupil.
The head of the institution may appeal to the health and social workers to support the student. They can also advise the family to seek outside care from their doctor or a hospital.
The head teacher regularly informs the family of the situation.
Follow-up and punishment of the perpetrator of harassment
The head teacher calls on the school staff to observe the attitude of the bullying student. He regularly discusses the situation with the harassment coordinator and the teaching team.
The superintendent must open a disciplinary procedure against the harasser. The Disciplinary Board may be convened.
Disciplinary sanctions are taken according to the seriousness of the situation. The perpetrator of the harassment risksfinal exclusion of the establishment.
The perpetrator of the harassment may also be delisted and assigned to another institution. For this, his behavior must constitute a risk to the safety or health of other students.
If the harassment continues, the head of the institution can call on a departmental team to resolve the situation. National education psychologists and health personnel are involved in the process.
A bullying prevention program was being implemented in schools, colleges and high schools. That's the program LIGHTHOUSE.
The prevention measures to combat school bullying the following are among the measures implemented:
- Information from a self-assessment questionnaire by middle and high school students. The student chooses to complete the questionnaire nominatively or anonymously. The aim of the questionnaire is to assess, at least once a year, whether pupils may be victims of school harassment.
- 10 hours of learning per year for middle school students dedicated to prevention of harassment
- Training the management of harassment situations of 5 personal resources (minimum) per college. This resource team is responsible for implementing the harassment management protocol. More generally, all middle and high school staff must be trained to combat bullying.
- Training ofstudent ambassadors for the fight against harassment in college.
FYI
One national anti-harassment day is organized every year.
Students and their parents are also made aware of the existence of 3018, national number for victims of harassment.
Who shall I contact
National number for victims of harassment
To ask your questions anonymously and confidentially about school harassment.
By phone
3018
Open 7 days a week, from 9am to 11pm
Free and anonymous call
Website
Yes, the victim can lodge a complaint against the harasser. For this, she can be accompanied by her legal representative (parent, guardian, ad hoc administrator,...).
The victim, through his legal representative (parent, guardian, ad hoc administrator,...), can also become a civil party.
In any case, the victim has 6 yearsAfter the fact, to file a complaint.
The complaint can be filed in a police station or gendarmerie. It can also be filed by mail.
On site
The victim may apply to a police station or gendarmerie brigade of his choice.
The complaint is transmitted to the public prosecutor by the police or gendarmerie.
By mail
The complaint must be filed with the public prosecutor.
Victim must mail it to court of the place of the offense or of the domicile of the offender.
Who shall I contact
The letter must specify the following:
- Civil status and full contact details of the victim (address and telephone number)
- Detailed account of the facts, date and place of the offense
- Name of the alleged perpetrator if the victim knows him (otherwise, the complaint will be filed against X)
- Name and address of any witnesses to the offense
- Description and provisional or definitive estimate of injury
- Evidence Documents
- Possible will of the victim to become a civil party.
The victim can use the following mail template:
File a complaint with the public prosecutor
The complaint can be sent by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, by simple letter or by followed letter.
The complaint can also be filed directly at the reception of the court.
In all cases, a receipt is given to the victim as soon as the public prosecutor's office has registered the complaint.
The presence of a lawyer is not required for the filing of complaints and throughout the proceedings until the trial before the criminal court.
The penalties differ depending on whether the perpetrator of the harassment is under 13 years of age, under 13 years of age or of age:
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Author under 13 years of age
Minors of under 13 Those guilty of bullying cannot go to jail or pay a fine. They may be subject to sanctions provided for by specific devices.
Minor author over 13 years
Penalties depend on the severity of the consequences of the harassment on the person concerned:
- Where school harassment has not resulted in total incapacity for work (missed school days) or has resulted in total incapacity for work of less than 8 days, it shall be punishable by 1 and a half years' imprisonment and €7,500 of fine at most.
- Where school harassment has resulted in a total incapacity for work of more than 8 days, the penalties shall be increased to 2 and a half years and €7,500 of fine at most.
- Where school harassment has led the person concerned to commit suicide or to attempt suicide, the penalties shall be increased to 5 years' imprisonment and €7,500 of fine at most.
Major Author
Penalties depend on the severity of the consequences of the harassment on the person concerned:
- Where school harassment has not resulted in total incapacity for work (missed school days) or has resulted in total incapacity for work of less than 8 days, it shall be punishable by 3 years imprisonment and €45,000 of a fine.
- Where school harassment has resulted in a total incapacity for work of more than 8 days, the penalties shall be increased to 5 years and €75,000 of a fine.
- Where school harassment has led the person concerned to commit suicide or to attempt suicide, the penalties shall be increased to 10 years' imprisonment and €150,000 of fine.
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
National number for victims of harassment
To ask your questions anonymously and confidentially about school harassment.
By phone
3018
Open 7 days a week, from 9am to 11pm
Free and anonymous call
Website
- School
Obligation to report to the prosecutor
Psychological harassment
Right to education - general provisions
Responsibility of parents of authors
Responsibility of the State
Service-Public.fr
Service-Public.fr
Service-Public.fr
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education