'Prepare to learn remotely': Schools issue messages that spark panic

Parents throughout Israel received messages from their children’s schools on Wednesday, telling them to prepare their children for remote learning following the Passover vacation, Israeli media reported.

Amid heightened tensions in the North and Iranian threats to avenge the killing of senior IRGC commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi in an alleged Israeli attack in early April, the messages sparked panic among parents.

The notices acknowledged the rising tensions pending a possible attack by Iran and its proxies on Israel and referred to a potential event in which “schools would be instructed not to open” following the Passover vacation, which is expected to conclude on April 29.

Schools suggest active preparation for remote learning

In preparation for remote learning, the messages asked that students remove their personal belongings, school books, and notebooks from their cubicles before the holiday vacation begins on Sunday.

Suggesting active preparations for remote learning, some schools stated that teachers would follow up on students’ abilities to study remotely, while others noted their schools had prepared learning kits for students.

While most messages did not clarify who had ordered such directives, one school noted it had issued the message in accordance with the instructions of the Education Ministry’s "supervising body." 

According to N12, some school principals said they issued the directives at the request of the Education Ministry’s supervising body.  

However, following the ensuing panic, the Education Ministry published a statement later on Wednesday which read, “Contrary to specific announcements that resulted from individual initiatives, at this stage there is no change in the security and defense policy of the Education Ministry in the education system, and there is no directive on shifting to learning remotely after the Passover holiday.”