In addition to the schools that are closed, 1,800 other schools have adjusted their schedules due to the extreme heat, BFMTV reports.
"In the classroom it was 32 degrees for the children last week. It will soon get worse," a primary school teacher in Arcachon Bay told the TV channel.
Temperatures are expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country during the day. A red weather warning has been issued in 49 of the country's departments on Monday. An orange warning has been issued in 40 other departments.
Monday night was the warmest in the country in seven years. The national average was measured at 21.4 degrees, the same level as during a heat wave in July 2019. But the next two nights are expected to be even warmer, according to forecasts from the weather agency Météo-France.
The risk of forest fires is assessed as "high" in 17 of the country's departments.
