The union of school administrators first called for the measure last year, after the terror attacks in Paris. However, the health ministry refused.
The call was renewed a few weeks ago by the SNPDEN union, and now some schools have already started allowing students to smoke in their grounds.
Michel Richard, Deputy Secretary General of SNPDEN, said that students massing on the street is a high risk and a greater risk than what consuming tobacco poses.
In November, the SNPDEN released a letter that said across France, dozens or hundreds of youth come together at recess in compact groups in a predictable way for 15-20 minutes at a time.
According to Vice, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Education said that some principals at schools are allowing students to smoke within school grounds, but they are doing so on a temporary basis and in open-air areas.
The spokeswoman also said it was up to the principal to decide. She added that the Ministry was still committed to fighting smoking, even though they were tolerating the new smoking rules.
She said the rules would only be for a limited period of time and determined by current events.
