Sderot parents insist they won't send their children to school - Haaretz

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Fri., August 31, 2007 Elul 17, 5767

Israel Time: 03:09 (EST+7)

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Sderot parents insist they won't send their children to school

By Barak Ravid, Amos Harel, and Mijal Grinberg

The defense establishment told the cabinet yesterday that schools in Sderot have been reinforced properly against rocket fire and are ready to start the school year Sunday, a claim that parents and teachers contest.

Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai and GOC Home Front Yitzhak Gershon described the preparations to fortify schools in Sderot and other communities bordering Gaza against Qassam rockets.

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The defense establishment has met all the requirements set by the Education Ministry, and has provided schools with reinforced classrooms and secure areas, they said.

The Education Ministry required Sderot to have 133 fortified classrooms, they said, and currently it has 164. They also said that the ministry requested 176 fortified classrooms in the communities around Gaza, and that there are 200. Overall, the Defense Ministry said NIS 477 million was invested in this project.

However, the Parent-Teacher Association in Sderot is not convinced. Yossi Suissa, deputy PTA chairman, challenged the Defense Ministry's figures, and said it is counting bomb shelters that are not ready to be used as classrooms.

He also noted that there are not enough classrooms for all the children, and that the current arrangements do not allow for classrooms suited for specialized electives, such as computer rooms or labs.

Gershon and Vilnai admitted that three elementary schools have not been sufficiently fortified, and that bus stops are not yet ready. The Defense Ministry had offered protective cement blocks for the bus stops, but the PTA demanded something more aesthetically pleasing. This will be available only in two months.

In addition, 26 Sderot kindergartens have not been sufficiently fortified. Of these, 10 will be ready in the coming days, eight in late November, and eight more by the end of December, Vilnai said.

Soldiers will accompany children to school at the start of the school year, and will assist in the classrooms and busing, he added.

But Vilnai was critical of the Sderot municipality, accusing it of being confused about its demands. He told the cabinet that even though the Defense Ministry is trying to fortify town schools, the municipality sent it a letter demanding it halt its work. When he approached Mayor Eli Moyal for a clarification, Moyal said he was not aware of any such request.

"They scream that there is no protection while the municipality issues letters against work," Vilnai said.

Vilnai also presented the cabinet with a new plan for emergency evacuations. Under the plan, the first groups to be evacuated would be the old, the sick and the poor.

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