French high school protests force hundreds of closures as PM orders safe schools to reopen Monday

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier ordered all schools with adequate security to reopen Monday after a week of student protests over education funding triggered violence and closures at hundreds of high schools. Students plan a new protest Tuesday, raising political concerns. The movement began mid-September near Paris and spread nationwide, with demands for more staff and funding. Education Minister Édouard Geffray reported 400-500 of 3,700 high schools closed Friday due to unsafe conditions or attacks on teachers, with 78 staff injured and 24 schools damaged. Barnier's roadmap includes priority replacement of absent teachers and a progress report by October 16. Regional president Valérie Pécresse expects over 160 schools in Île-de-France to remain closed Monday. Over 5,000 arrests, mostly minors, have occurred since Monday.