Hundreds of French high schools closed or disrupted

French education officials said hundreds of high schools were closed or disrupted on Monday, October 5, as student protests continued across the country and authorities prepared for another day of action scheduled for Tuesday. Education Minister Édouard Geffray said 400 to 500 high schools would be wholly or partly closed because security conditions for keeping them open had not been met. The estimate concerns closures; it is distinct from the education ministry’s count of schools affected by protest activity. By late Monday morning, 413 schools had experienced actions or disruptions since the start of the day, the ministry said. That was 27 fewer than at the same time Friday, though 40 schools in Monday’s count had not previously been affected. The figures do not establish how many schools were actually closed, as opposed to facing other disruptions. In Paris, Vauquelin secondary school closed for the day after a fire was set at its entrance. Headteacher Carole Zerbib said masked people brought bins and flammable items to the doorway and set them alight. Demonstrations and tensions were also reported near several other Paris schools, as well as in Lyon and Lille.