In a move that does not enjoy the support of parents or teachers, police have decided that ‘security assistants’, unarmed teachers who receive additional pay to assist in security matters, will replace 4,000 security guards beginning in 2009. These teachers will be expected to arrived 30 minutes before school begins and during that time period, undertake responsibilities that were previously in the hands of armed guards.

Unless the national government announces a surprise budgetary increase, the guards will be unemployed as of 2009 and the schools will not longer have armed guards at the gate.

The teachers will be expected to make two patrols during the course of their school day, and to check security systems and lock gates at the end of the day. Parent Teachers Organization officials announced the situation is unacceptable and they may boycott schools. Officials point out the teachers who are responsible for security are unarmed, and they have not undergone special training. In addition, despite their 6% salary increase for the added responsibility, they are employed to teach and not to concern themselves with a school’s security.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)