France Schools Overheat: Staff, Kids Risk Health

As France grapples with record-breaking temperatures, teachers' unions are sounding alarms over the health risks posed to staff and students in overheated school buildings. They are calling for strikes due to "unacceptable working conditions" and a perceived lack of government preparedness.

Many French school structures, built without adequate insulation or air-conditioning, become heat traps, with temperatures frequently exceeding 30C and reaching up to 40C. Exposed playgrounds exacerbate the issue, leading to teachers implementing measures like keeping curtains closed and spraying children with water.

Despite these conditions, national exams, including the "brevet" for over 850,000 15-year-olds, are proceeding. The education minister, Édouard Geffray, stated that exams will be held in the mornings, with spaced-out desks, water provided, and adapted break rules. He believes holding exams now is preferable to postponing them until September.

In response to the crisis, the Île-de-France region has allocated €1 million for emergency cooling equipment in high-school exam centres. Some parents in Paris consider school a safer alternative to excessively hot homes. The minister also announced that from next summer, all national exams will be scheduled for the morning.