Israel's education system is preparing for a phased return to classrooms, BNN has learned
By Bernie,
Israel's education system is preparing for a phased return to classrooms, BNN has learned. Education Minister Yoav Kisch will hold a decisive meeting tomorrow with Home Front Command officials and local authority heads to finalize the framework. Schools have been closed or operating remotely since the war began on February 28, with the Passover break extending the closure further.
The challenge is straightforward: there are not enough shelters to hold all students at once. The emerging plan works around that by staggering who comes to school and when.
Kindergartens and grades 1 through 3 would return to full in-person learning, but only up to the number of children who can fit into the building's protected spaces at any given moment.
Elementary schools would operate at least three days a week per student, with schools managing rotations based on their shelter capacity.
High school students facing matriculation exams would return in small groups, similar to the "capsule" system used during COVID, where a limited number of students attend in person while the rest learn remotely, with the groups swapping on alternate days.
Private daycare centers and nurseries would also be permitted to reopen under the same shelter-capacity constraints.
The non-negotiable rule across all settings: every student and staff member must be able to reach a protected space within 90 seconds of a siren.
The plan applies only to areas classified as "orange" under Home Front Command's risk framework. Northern communities remain excluded. Local authorities will have the power to impose stricter rules based on their own security assessments. A Knesset report found that roughly 40 percent of Israeli schools cannot offer all students access to shelters, with about 14 percent having no protection at all. The ministry lacks data on shelter availability in more than half of kindergartens.
Implementation is far from certain. The final decision rests with the Home Front Command chief and the Defense Minister, both of whom have overruled the Education Ministry before. On March 9, Kisch announced a reopening plan only for Home Front Command to reimpose nationwide restrictions that same evening, forcing him to shelve it.
With missile fire from Iran and Hezbollah continuing daily, any reopening could be reversed at short notice. No return to classrooms is expected before Wednesday at the earliest. BNN will update as the situation develops.
Topics: Iran, Lebanon & Hezbollah, Missile Defense & Alerts
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