The teacher who faced harassment defeated the Ministry of Education - and will return to teach

Teacher Ilan Bassik Teshtesh, who exposed that the vice principal at the Tel Aviv School of Maritime Education received funds illegally, won his lawsuit against the Ministry of Education and will return to teach on September 1. The Labor Court ruled that the principal forged documents that attested to a conflict with other teachers, and that the vice principal received double pay while abroad. The Tel Aviv Regional Labor Court determined that Bassik Teshtesh, a respected maritime sports teacher, will return to teach there and that flaws were found in the hearing conducted by the Ministry of Education. A year ago, Bassik Teshtesh complained to the Ministry of Education about the vice principal, who traveled abroad to work at summer camps during the school year, usually in June, without Ministry approval while continuing to receive pay. The vice principal was summoned for a disciplinary inquiry. The school principal did not like Bassik Teshtesh's action and summoned him to a hearing after allegedly receiving complaints about him from other teachers. The court found a direct link between the complaint filed by Bassik Teshtesh and his summons to a hearing, and found "inconsistency" in the principal's testimony. For example, the teacher was never shown letters written against him by other teachers, only "white papers 'upside down'", which he was told were complaint letters against him. The court further ruled that two summaries of conversations presented by the principal at the hearing "are not authentic and do not reflect the content of the conversations." The court accepted Bassik Teshtesh's claim of abusive treatment after filing the complaint against the vice principal, which he described as "ongoing harassment." The teacher testified that the school administration blocked significant roles he was supposed to receive and harmed his salary. According to the court ruling, Bassik Teshtesh will be compensated 30,000 shekels for the harassment. Bassik Teshtesh was represented by attorney Yifat Tavor from the office of attorney Sigal Pa'il, who represents the Teachers' Union.