Education Ministry introduces new rules for parents and schools

Israel's Education Ministry has introduced new rules for communication between parents and teachers after a year and a half of negotiations with the Teachers' Union. Communication must now go through agreed channels to protect teachers' personal time. Union Secretary-General Yaffa Ben-David called this an unprecedented achievement.

Israel's Ministry of Education has published a director-general's circular regulating communication between parents and teachers. The document is the result of a year and a half of negotiations between the Teachers' Union and the ministry. The new rules aim to protect teachers' personal time from calls and messages during non-working hours, including evenings, weekends, and vacations. According to the agreement, communication between parents and teachers must now take place exclusively through predetermined channels established by the school with the consent of the staff and parents. Teachers' Union Secretary-General Yaffa Ben-David called this an unprecedented achievement and emphasized that teachers are not a service center, and their right to free time must be respected. She also thanked Education Minister Yoav Kisch for his involvement in developing the rules. The union believes that protecting the dignity and rights of teachers is a necessary condition for creating a strong education system.