Minister threatens funds for school after principal says he’ll cancel classes for protests

Education Minister Yoav Kisch has threatened to withhold funding from a Tel Aviv school after its principal said he would cancel classes on Wednesday and encourage students to go protest in Jerusalem against the government’s plan to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

In a missive to teachers, Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium’s Ze’ev Degani said, “Our democracy is on the verge of collapse.”

“We can no longer remain silent. The prime minister is turning the country into a dictatorship by acting against the law. On Wednesday, it will be impossible to teach history and math at school.”

In a video statement, Kisch says Degani “is a criminal. His decision to shut down classes and send students to a political protest is a severe and direct violation of the Compulsory Education Law.”

He adds: “We will not allow schools to become arenas for political clashes… Degani and the management board of Herzliya Gymnasium have been summoned for an urgent hearing on Wednesday. If the school is indeed shut down, the funding Herzliya Gymnasium receives from the education system will be immediately suspended.”