A female arts teacher at La Guicharde school in Sanary-sur-Mer, Var, was brutally stabbed multiple times Tuesday afternoon. A police source said that the victim was given a “life-threatening prognosis” following the attack within the school grounds.

The teacher sustained three stab wounds—two to the abdomen and one to the forearm. According to Toulon prosecutor Raphaël Balland, the assailant, a 14-year-old student, was “apprehended in the playground by staff from the establishment” and subsequently placed in police custody for attempted murder.

Preliminary investigations suggest the violence stemmed from a dispute about the teacher’s punishments in class, according to Europe 1 news outlet. The 14-year-old student had reportedly received several warnings from the teacher, which he allegedly refused to accept. Before the attack, he reportedly threatened the teacher, stating that he “wouldn’t stay there.”

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Prosecutor Balland provided further context during an afternoon press briefing, noting that there is “no religious or political connotation at this stage” and that “we only know that there had been tensions with this professor recently.”

The Interdepartmental Directorate of the National Police of Var (DIPN) and the Departmental Public Security Service (SDSP) were deployed to the scene immediately following the incident.

Minister of National Education Édouard Geffray arrived at the school on Tuesday evening to support the staff. He praised the “extraordinary composure” of the educational teams and remarked:

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“This is, of course, an isolated act in an establishment rather regarded as an exemplary establishment in terms of school climate,” said Geffray

Regarding the victim’s health, the minister confirmed she had undergone surgery at the Sainte-Anne military hospital in Toulon. “We have to be very careful, but she is in stable condition this evening,” he added.

In the wake of the attack, the minister shared the “deep emotion” felt by the region: “My thoughts go immediately to the victim, his family and the entire educational community.”

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