One-third of students not registered for school in Kiryat Shmona, mayor warns

“No parent or resident wants to raise their children like this,” said Kiryat Shmona Mayor Avichai Stern, who warned that attendance in the North remains inconsistent.

Approximately one-third of students have not registered for the upcoming school year in Kiryat Shmona, Mayor Avichai Stern said on Monday, warning that prolonged instability in northern Israel is pushing families away and making normal education increasingly difficult.

Speaking to 103FM radio, Stern said the city is currently missing approximately 1,000 students from next year’s education system and estimated that only about 10,000 of Kiryat Shmona’s roughly 26,000 prewar residents have returned.

“No parent or resident wants to raise their children like this,” Stern said. “If they do, it’s for patriotic Zionist reasons, but how much longer can we test the resilience and Zionism of the people here? In the end, this resilience has a limit.”

‘Parents are afraid to send their children’

Stern described an education system operating under continued security pressure and said attendance remains inconsistent. “The students’ attendance is not full; parents are afraid to send their children to the education systems,” he said.

According to Stern, even students who attend school continue to experience repeated disruptions.

He described recent holiday activities in which some students participated in person while others joined remotely because gathering restrictions remained in place.

“These parents, after two years of Corona when the students studied on Zoom and two years of war when they were evacuated all over the country, and now it is another school year when they were in shelters for 50 days, and part of the time they cannot come and study reasonably,” he said.

Stern argued that declining enrollment should not be viewed in isolation.

“Is it any wonder that parents decide not to take another year like this, when they see that the rest of the country is studying as usual, and here they live in a reality of war?” he said.

Drone attacks prompt new education restrictions

The comments came as alerts sounded throughout Monday across northern Israel following launches of drones and explosive drones from Lebanon.

A Hezbollah drone struck a building in Metula during the day, while impacts were also reported in Moshav Shomera. Additional alerts were activated across communities in the Western and Upper Galilee, while Fire and Rescue teams responded to a fire near Rosh Hanikra that broke out following an explosive drone impact.

Against that backdrop, local authorities announced changes to educational activity beginning Tuesday.

The Mateh Asher Regional Council issued updated guidelines for communities near the border, including Ayalon, Aramsha, Hanita, Matzuba, Betzet, Liman, Adamit, and Rosh Hanikra.

Kindergartens will operate only near protected spaces and in buildings with concrete roofs, and children will not be permitted to leave kindergarten yards.

Schools in Manor Ayalon, Aramsha, Ma’ale HaHar, and Betzet will move to distance learning, while preparations are underway to establish local learning centers.

Transportation services will operate only for special education frameworks.

Local leaders warn fighting may intensify

Kiryat Shmona officials later said no final decision had been made regarding classes, but warned residents that intense IDF activity was expected overnight in the Lebanese sector and could affect communities along the confrontation line.

“At this stage, no official decision has yet been made regarding the holding of classes tomorrow, and we will update as soon as a decision is made on the matter,” said a spokeswoman for the city.

Residents were urged to follow Home Front Command guidance and avoid spreading unverified information.

Meanwhile, the IDF said it struck more than 70 Hezbollah infrastructure targets throughout the day using more than 85 munitions across Lebanon, including headquarters and weapons storage sites in the city of Tyre.

Stern said that residents increasingly understand that the current reality may continue.

“As much as we understand that reality is not going to change, Hezbollah is not disarming as we were promised,” he said. “It’s very easy to understand that it’s a matter of time until the next round.”