As Elul approaches and Israel’s public school system is preparing for opening day, it’s time for the annual report citing the lack of awareness nationwide. Some of this year’s problems include a lack of security guards, security and safety inadequacies, schools that remain inaccessible to the handicapped, and an admitted unpreparedness to contend with swine flu.

One of the more prominent problems is that many security guards will not complete training and certification in time for opening day, which means they will man their positions without a weapon. The unarmed guards do not exactly bring a real comfort to concerned parents.

In Jerusalem, the situation is more severe, where a manpower shortage exists, with officials indicating some schools will not have any security guard, not even an unarmed guard.

There is also a critical shortage of school nurses, which will come into play regarding swine flu and giving vaccinations to students.

MK Zevulun Orlev, who heads the Knesset Education Committee acknowledges the seriousness of the issues, especially upset over the lack of wheelchair accessibility, and is holding committee meetings to address the issues.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)