MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Meir Porush is preparing a unique bill aimed at curbing violence in Israel’s public schools. The bill links violent incidents in schools to state funding. Rav Porush feels the funding incentive will compel school officials to do whatever necessary to reduce the number of violent attacks, which are on the rise.

The Porush plan states that violent incidents in a school will negatively impact that school’s budget the following year. This of course refers to “serious acts of violence” which must be defined by the minister of education and approved by the Knesset Education Committee.

The plan states that if a school has three violent incidents in a year, that school will forfeit 5% of its budget the following year. Three additional occurrences; an additional 5% will be deducted and if a school has 12 violent incidents in a year, that school will not receive funding the following year and will only be eligible for funding the following year, providing the situation has been corrected to the satisfaction of ministry officials.

Funds deducted from schools will be placed in a special fund used to combat school violence, which continues to rise in the public school system. Porush points out that not only is violence on the rise, the age of students becoming involved seems to be dropping.

A teachers’ union survey from Sivan 5772 shows that 53% of teachers have been victimized by student verbal abuse and 23% of the teachers have been a victim to physical attacks.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)