Israel okays plan to partially reopen schools starting Sunday

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved an Education Ministry plan to partially reopen schools on Sunday, pursuant to an IDF Home Front Command assessment on Thursday night, according to a ministry statement cited by Hebrew media.

The move comes in the shadow of the war with Iran that has left the country’s 2.5 million children stuck at home for five weeks since the outbreak of hostilities.

Following a meeting with Education Minister Yoav Kisch, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Netanyahu is said to have approved an outline mentioned Monday by Kisch in a statement, according to which there will be a rotating system in lower risk areas, alternating between in-person and remote learning, with some 30 to 50 percent of the students attending classes in person at one time. The statement doesn’t include more specific details.

In most of the country, which is considered to be at a relatively high risk of being targeted with missile or rocket attacks, studies will only take place inside bomb shelters, according to that outline.

In lower-risk areas — including the Gaza border communities, the Lower Galilee, Arava, and the West Bank — studies can take place next to a shelter.

Under the current guidelines, areas of the country are designated as yellow (lower risk) and orange. In the former, provided that a shelter can be reached within the time available to reach a protected space, educational activities can be held in person, and gatherings can include up to 50 people outdoors and 100 people indoors. In the latter, educational activities are prohibited, and gatherings can include up to 50 people, provided that shelter is available (workplaces with access to shelters can operate in both areas).

Additionally, Netanyahu has rejected a proposal by Smotrich to designate the wartime period as vacation time for teachers and to have them work instead during the summer break.