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A severe, multi-day heatwave has gripped Switzerland, with temperatures projected to hit 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit). In response, teachers are pressuring authorities to implement binding national regulations to safeguard students and staff in sweltering classrooms.
According to MeteoSwiss, the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology, the extreme heat has settled across the country and is expected to persist until Monday, June 29. Level 4 heat alerts, the nation's second-highest warning threshold, have already been issued for northwestern Switzerland, the Lake Geneva region, portions of the western plateau, and central Valais.
Additional areas, including Aargau, Schaffhausen, Solothurn and the Rhine Valley, are expected to move up from Level 3 to Level 4 on Thursday as the hot weather spreads further.
Daytime temperatures are forecast to stay between 34°C and 37°C, while night temperatures are expected to remain between 18°C and 23°C in many areas. MeteoSwiss said the warm nights would add to the strain by making it harder for people to cool down after daytime heat.
The agency also said temperatures above 36°C had already been recorded in parts of northern Switzerland and Alpine valleys in recent days.
As the heatwave continues, the Swiss Teachers' Federation has called on the federal government and cantonal (regional) authorities to set legally binding minimum standards for heat protection in schools, according to Swissinfo.
The federation has put forward a staged protection plan for classrooms. Under the proposal, classes would continue normally up to 26°C indoors. At higher temperatures, schools would adjust schedules and move lessons to cooler rooms.
Teaching should be suspended once classroom temperatures reach 30°C, the federation said.
The call comes as Switzerland no longer provides a legal entitlement to so-called "heat holidays," a term used for school breaks or closures during periods of extreme heat.
As the heat wave is expected to continue into next week, the debate has now shifted from weather warnings to how schools should respond when classrooms become difficult to work in.
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