The “skip the line” circular promised by the Government for students with mental distress has been published. The procedure provides, depending on the degree of urgency, a letter explaining the degree of urgency for an appointment as soon as possible. or a call to 15 to direct you to the existing and available offer. In all cases, these skip-the-line directions must be authorized by the legal guardians of the minor who receive the proposal.
The circular of June 29, 2026 on improving guidance and care for students showing signs of psychological suffering brought a coordinated response between the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Health to the state. She recalls that all members of the educational community contribute to the identification and that psychologists, nurses, doctors and social service assistants from national education, while respecting their respective skills, are then responsible for assessing the situation and directing students towards care. It is part of a partnership dimension which aims to coordinate the action of national education professions and local health professionals.
A “skip the line” instruction for grading the emergency level on three levels
This circular thus introduces a queue-cutting system (see our article) which allows treatment to be prioritized based on assessment elements provided by health professionals and national education psychologists. This system had been criticized by professionals in the field (see our article) who argued that the “answers” proposed are based on the existing offer and ” available “while all public child psychiatry structures are notoriously congested.
This circular proposes three levels of response according to a gradation of the level of emergency :
– a first level relevant « identification, listening, support and referral to appropriate resources » ;
– a second level corresponding to the situations “ requiring rapid assessment and priority referral to healthcare structures » ;
– a third level concerning ” crisis or imminent danger situations requiring urgent psychiatric care« .
This gradation aims to guarantee a response adapted to the situation of each student, while respecting the skills of the professionals concerned and in liaison with the legal authorities.
While respecting his skills, the psychologist, nurse or national education doctor then provides the student’s legal guardians with an explanatory letter which contains the elements of his evaluation carried out during interviews with the child or adolescent, as well as a “skip the line” request motivating the degree of urgency for an appointment as soon as possible.
In the event of fear of the student committing an act against himself, other students, school staff or any other person or of a vital risk for the student or the other people mentioned above, a call to 15 is made, in order to offer the student’s legal guardians emergency skip-the-line treatment including a global assessment (somatic and psychological). The latter is organized as quickly as possible in conjunction with the territory’s access to care service (SAS), which will primarily mobilize the SAS psychiatric sector if it exists, or failing that, with the emergency services in territories where the SAS psychiatric sector is not yet operational. The care will be adapted to the situation and the available/existing care offer.
The call to 15 allows, thanks to the mobilization of SAS resources, to offer several levels of response:
– assess the mental health status and needs of calling patients and provide simple psychiatric medical advice;
– offer emergency care by directing you to appropriate structures (emergency services, reception and crisis centers, etc.);
– offer referral in the city, in a health establishment (hospitalization or outpatient care including at home) or towards medico-social or social services, within times adapted to the patient’s state of health;
– make the link, if necessary, with the national suicide prevention number (3114) and the VigilanS system;
– organize a recall of patients based on the initial assessment.
In all cases, these skip-the-line directions must be authorized by the legal guardians of the minor who is
receive the proposal. Thus, national education health professionals make every effort to speak with the legal person(s) responsible and obtain their support for the recommended orientation. As a last resort, if the legal guardians do not respond to requests or refuse the proposed care approach while the student is suffering, a report to the prosecutor can be made by the establishment according to the procedures in force with the support of the social service on behalf of the students.
Once the response is provided, the SAS team liaises with the professionals who follow the student. Thus, a summary of the treatment carried out can be sent to the referring national education health professional (this point will be specified in the agreement)
• Interministerial instruction Official Bulletin of National Education, Youth and Sports, July 2, 2026, “Improvement of guidance and care for students showing signs of psychological suffering”, see page 20.
• Also read on education.gouv.fr “Improving guidance and care for students showing signs of psychological suffering”, Official Bulletin No. 27 of July 2, 2026.
