Over 7,000 pupils in six Israel Sci-Tech schools in the South of Israel are currently under Hamas Fire.
Since Israel began operation Offeret Yezuka in response to Hamas’s ongoing rocket fire targeting Israeli towns across its southern border, the Israel Sci-Tech network is making special arrangements for the students of its six schools in the radius of the missile zone.
This is the story of one of them
The network’s Ronson School in Ashkelon, home to 1,754 high school and college students, is dark and empty. Starting on the first day of Israel’s air strike, the army banned municipal transportation and gatherings in public facilities, thereby making it impossible for the school to remain open.
The closing has the greatest impact on 280 12th graders who in two weeks are scheduled to take their winter matriculation exams. They worry that the precious study time they are losing, combined with the emotional distress they are undergoing, will adversely affect their scores. This will likely bring down their grade point averages reflected on their matriculation certificates and, ultimately, influence their college choices. For these students, the Ronson School must provide much needed tutoring in a variety of subjects.
To accommodate its freshman college students, the Ronson School has arranged private door-to-door transportation from their respective homes to the network's Rechovot College. It is a massive undertaking and a large expense that the Ronson School is struggling to cover.
While it is unclear how long the conflict is going to last, the Ronson School is preparing for a long haul. Its teachers and administrators, who themselves are under great stress, must provide guidance and support for their students when school reopens.
In the meantime, the network's schools in Karmiel and Arad have offered to host Ronson students and their teachers for as long as necessary. The Ronson School is also determining whether it can turn its facilities into a residential site so that it can remain open.