Yaffa Ben David, Secretary General of the Israel Teachers Union, on Wednesday sent Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton (New Hope) a letter discussing the plans for the upcoming school year, Israel Hayom reported.
In her letter, Ben David wrote: "The Israel Teachers Union supports beginning the school year on time and according to a plan appropriate for the situation."
She added, however, that "the plan published in the media does not provide solutions for the teaching staff and school principals with regards to basic scenarios in school, when coronavirus raises its head once again."
"We cannot bury our heads in the sand and act as if coronavirus has disappeared from the world. Therefore, I request clarifications regarding the policies and guidelines for teaching staff during the upcoming school year."
Ben David then requested clarification regarding protocols and guidelines for teaching staff and principals, inquiring about how special education would work, and how it would be possible to split classes up if there are not enough resources and additional teaching staff.
In a Wednesday interview with Galei Zahal, Ben David said: "Decision makers - stop fighting. Sit until white smoke billows out, and reach agreements so that we can know how the school year will start. The principals are not ready, that's insane."
"None of us know how the school year will be, we only heard in the media that they want us to teach full classes. I request answers so that we can prepare. We did not learn anything from last year."
Under Shasha-Biton's plan school would operate as usual from preschool through twelfth grade, and schools would remain open regardless of the infection rate in their towns. Informal educational frameworks would operate in "red" cities only in the open air. Schools would also take standard pandemic precautions such as masks, handwashing, and regular coronavirus testing.