Education minister: Plan to partially reopen schools won’t include Tel Aviv area, northern Israel

Education Minister Yoav Kisch confirms that the ministry’s plan for a partial reopening of schools starting as early as next week will not include northern Israel or the Tel Aviv area (Gush Dan).

He makes the comments during a situation assessment in the northern city of Nahariya after a night of heavy fire on the region by both Iran and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group.

On Monday, Kisch presented a plan to reopen daycares, special education, and grades 1, 2, 11, and 12 in areas designated as “yellow,” or at lower risk of attacks, by the Home Front Command, provided the schools have shelters. So far, no area has been designated as such. The next assessment is set for Saturday night.

According to a statement by the minister’s spokesperson, the ministry expects most of the country to remain at high risk, with schools continuing to operate only remotely.

The statement adds that once an area is designated as yellow, it will take 24 hours to organize a return to the classroom and, therefore, schools are not expected to reopen before Monday.

It also says that the minister asked the Home Front Command to move up its assessment to allow schools to get organized to reopen as soon as Sunday, where possible.

Local authorities that have expressed interest in reopening schools under Kisch’s outline next week include Jerusalem, Maale Adumim in the West Bank, and the Gaza border communities in the south.