The middle school supervisor stabbed to death in France by a student on 10 June has been posthumously awarded the Legion of Honour, the country's highest award, according to a decree published Tuesday in the Official Journal.
The killing of the 31-year-old teaching assistant – named only as Melanie – caused widespread shock, just months after another student killed a girl and wounded several others in a stabbing in western France.
Her funeral for took place on 17 June in Sarcey, a small village near Nogent, in eastern France.
14-year-old student Quentin G. was charged with the "murder of a person in a position of authority", which under French law is an aggravating circumstance.
The suspect was also named as a person of interest in the assault of a gendarme during his arrest shortly after the fatal stabbing, prosecutors in the eastern city of Dijon said.
The attack took place during a routine bag check in front of the Françoise Dolto secondary school.
'Fascination for violence'
Prosecutors said later that the pupil had wanted to attack "any" monitor after being reprimanded a few days earlier for kissing his girlfriend.
Regional prosecutor Denis Devallois told reporters that the teenager acknowledged "being the perpetrator" of the deadly stabbing and that he "intended to kill".
Devallois said the suspect was a fan of "violent video games", and showed a "fascination for violence and death".
French government to ban knife sales to minors after deadly school attack
As a minor, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison instead of life imprisonment.
The victim, a former hairdresser, had worked at the school since September. She was a mother of a four-year-old boy and a councillor in her village.
Last week, the Ministry of Education announced that on top of the Legion d'honneur, she would also receive the title of Commander of the "Palmes Académiques", the oldest distinction awarded to a civilian.
Son to receive award
The status of Ward of the Nation, which offers special material and moral protection to the children of victims of acts of terrorism, will be granted to her son.
France has seen several attacks on teachers and pupils in recent years by schoolchildren and authorities have promised a raft of measures to tackle knife crime among children.
In March, police began carrying out random searches for concealed weapons in and around schools.
EU countries push for stricter rules to keep children off social media
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's office said a ban on the sale of knives to minors would be implemented by a decree.
Bayrou has also called for a trial of metal detectors in schools.
Education Minister Elisabeth Borne has called for children's screen time to be limited.
Backed by France and Spain, Greece has also spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children's use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children's mental and physical health.
(with AFP)
