Up to 500 French schools to close Monday as student protests spread

Up to 500 French secondary schools will be fully or partially closed Monday due to a wave of student protests, Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced, citing unmet safety conditions. The measure is primarily precautionary ahead of larger protests planned for Tuesday. Since the movement began, 24 schools have been damaged, 78 staff members injured, and over 5,000 people arrested, 85 percent of them minors. Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets, which Amnesty International called "disproportionate." The protests began September 17 in Paris over teacher shortages, dilapidated buildings, and poor learning conditions. In Lens, a 15-year-old lost his hand after picking up a police-fired "sting-ball" grenade. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez defended police actions, while Geffray blamed far-left activists for infiltrating the movement.