According to assessments from the Prime Minister's Office, it will be impossible to comply with the High Court's ruling two weeks ago which ordered the state to reinforce all classrooms in Sderot and in the communities around Gaza by the beginning of the coming school year.

During a hearing Monday in the PMO, officials estimated that the reinforcement would be finalized within 1-3 years. In coming days, PMO officials will decide whether to file a request for an additional hearing with the court.

The High Court had previously ruled that the present method of designating one protected area per school is insufficient and therefore all the classrooms must be reinforced by September.

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According to the present system, students have 15 seconds, from the moment the alarm sounds until the Qassam hits, to reach each school's single protected area. The High Court determined that this was not enough time and that the method does not meet the test of reasonability.

A few months ago, the cabinet allocated NIS 135 million to reinforce all classrooms for grades 1-3. However the High Court determined that all classrooms, up to the 12th grade, must be reinforced.

The additional estimated NIS 200 million to reinforce all classrooms will bring the total allocation to approximately NIS 400 million.

Ar present, some 340 classrooms are not reinforced - about half of all classrooms in Sderot and the communities around the Gaza Strip.