The government will decide today on limitations in Purim and on openong 7-10 grades classes

The heads of the local authorities are trying to reach an agreement with the government on the introduction of the return of studies to the middle schools. This follows the threat of the Local Authorities Forum to open its schools tomorrow. The government will convene after noon to discuss the matter. There is still no agreement between Blue and White and the Likud on this matter.

Mayors from the 15th Forum announced at the begining of the week the opening of classes for grades 7 to 10 starting Wednesday, ahead of a date set by the government, are calling on teaching staff to cooperate with their decision but stressing that it is not binding.
Although the opening outline formulated by the authorities has received widespread support from the school principals' organization, it is not expected to be opposed by teachers either - but the decision to open the education system without government approval is against the law. This is despite the extensive discourse that dealt with the transfer of powers on the issue of education to mayors.
In the current situation, the decisive factor in this matter is the degree of willingness of the teaching staff to cooperate with the mayors and to come and teach in violation of government directives. In such a case, theoretically, teachers may be fined by the Ministry of Education and not paid for those days when they are supposed to continue teaching from a distance. Mayors made it clear in their letter that they would give full backing to teachers who choose to come to teach contrary to government guidelines.
Raz Kinstlich, the mayor of Rishon Lezion, referred to the postponement of the opening of classes for grades 7-10 as discrimination that must end. "We think there is a huge damage to the lives of the children, it does not make sense that the children in grades 7-10 will not be in the education system for so long. There is no reason for this discrimination, and certainly when we see the malls crowded and all the centers crowded," Kinstlich said. .
Asked if there would be agreement on the part of teachers to teach according to the outline as early as next Wednesday, Kinstlich replied: "We do not force neither the teachers nor the principals. There are excellent teaching staffs and we call on them to come and cooperate with us. We give them all possible backing. That they can do it. "
He said, "We have seen the response of the principals 'organization, which is in favor, and we have not heard that the teachers' union opposes. The Ministry of Education itself also says that the entire education system must be fully developed, so let's see if the Ministry of Education stands by us."
Kinstlich added that "the psyche of these children is harmed and it is our time, of the 15th Forum which represents almost 50% of the State of Israel, to come and say our statement. At the end of the day the local authorities are the ones who actually took care of Corona on the ground. Trust us, we know What is right and what should be done? "
Ran Konik, the mayor of Givatayim, joined the position of the mayor of Rishon Lezion and claimed that the school setting is safer than the street. "It makes no sense to leave layers 7-10 at home, certainly not in cities with low morbidity figures," Konik said. "It is a political decision that the public does not make, a decision that is a robbery of public trust and a severe damage to the future of the children, their young psyche, and all this just to leave control in the hands of the government, instead of a point transfer to any local authority."
The mayor added that "at school the children are safer right now, outside, because when everything is open they also roam in large groups, usually at night, so beyond idleness and worrying wandering, they are also at higher risk of infection than at school where they study in small groups."
The mayor of Ramat Gan, Carmel Shama HaCohen, also expressed support for the decision and said that it depended on the directors of the institutions. "We are no longer waiting for the government. Until the next beat they will study two to three days a week, mainly core subjects," he said, "all at the discretion of school principals and staffing constraints and of course the teachers' attendance. All 15 major cities are partners in the decision."
The Ministry of Education has not yet responded to the forum's announcement, which includes the cities of Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Beer Sheva, Givatayim, Herzliya, Hadera, Holon, Haifa, Kfar Saba, Netanya, Petah Tikva, Rishon Lezion, Rehovot, Ramat Gan and Raanana. This is because the ministry is waiting for the government's instructions on the matter.
Education Minister Yoav Galant addressed the issue and said in an interview that as long as there is no government decision on the issue - mayors can not open the education system. According to him, this is because the person who employs the teachers is the State of Israel, through the Ministry of Education, and he does not believe that they will break the law. The Teachers' Union stated that they would not agree to teach as long as there was no approval from the Ministry of Education.