Area colleges are assuring parents of students in France that they are out of harm's way, despite the outbursts of rioting and arson there.
A handful of parents began calling Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs late last week, concerned about their offspring who are studying in Paris. The school has 29 students studying there for the fall semester.
The parents of four students called following more than a week of rioting on the outskirts of the city, wanting reassurances that their children were all right.
“Several of them wanted to let us know that while they were concerned, they understood their children were not in danger,” said Marie Alice Arnold, senior program coordinator with the school's Office of International Programs.
“They were wanting to kind of touch base and find out what was going on.”
France declared a 12-day state of emergency Tuesday, paving the way for curfews to be imposed on riot-torn cities and towns in an extraordinary measure to halt the nation's worst civil unrest in nearly four decades.
Rioting began Oct. 27 in Paris' northeastern suburbs and has since spread to nearly 300 cities and towns across France. The rioting, however, showed signs of diminishing; unrest was reported Tuesday in 226 municipalities, The Associated Press reported.
Skidmore has one of the largest local contingents in France.
Union College officials reported 12 students in Rennes in western France and the University at Albany reported five students in the country, two in Paris.
Officials with all three schools said they are monitoring the situation, but that the students are in no danger.
“We are keeping a close eye on the situation, and if at any point we feel we need to change course, we will,” Union spokesman Bill Schwarz said.
The school is celebrating the 35 th anniversary of its Rennes program, Schwarz said.
At Skidmore, Arnold sent off an e-mail addressed to parents outlining the situation. Students met with staff to review safety procedures, including avoiding areas affected by the violence. The students have no reason to go there, she wrote.
She also referred to a State Department announcement that recommends Americans take buses or taxis instead of trains when going to the airport. The trains go through affected areas and have been disrupted.
“Rest assured the program has a crisis response plan in place, which would be put into effect should the need arise,” Arnold wrote.
The violence has been sweeping neglected and impoverished neighborhoods with large African and Arab immigrant communities and is forcing France to confront anger building for decades among residents who complain of discrimination and unemployment.
Although many French-born children of Arab and black African immigrants are Muslim, police say the violence is not being driven by Islamic groups.
The Skidmore students in Paris are staying with host families, Arnold said.
The incidents have given the students something more to discuss with their hosts, Arnold said.
“It's a wonderful opportunity for students to talk with their host families about what is happening and why it is happening and what are the future implications of this,” she said.