Pokémon Go has already been called out multiple times for allowing Pokémon to be caught in regions or areas that should be left unpopulated out of respect. Now, France’s education minister, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, is asking Niantic to remove rare Pokémon from every school in the country.
The AP reported that Vallaud-Belkacem confirmed at a press conference yesterday that she would be meeting with Niantic to discuss the possibility of removing Pokémon from schools in France. According to Vallaud-Belkacem, while she doesn’t have a problem with the game itself, she’s worried that having rare Pokémon available in a school would tempt non-students to enter the grounds to try and catch it.
Part of the request is to increase safety measures in France, which is still in a state of emergency following the terrorist attacks that occurred in Paris last year and Bastille Day in Nice last month. At this time, Vallaud-Beckacem hasn’t spoken to Niantic, nor has Niantic commented on the request, but she’s not the first government official to ask for Pokémon to be removed.
Pokémon Go has attracted all kinds of governmental concern since its launch in early July. New York state legislators introduced a bill requiring games such as Pokémon Go to keep their objectives at least 100 feet away from the residence of a registered sex offender.
Pokémon Go is still being played around the world in record numbers, but according to multiple reports from various analysts, those numbers are quickly dwindling.