20 days left: hundreds of special education children in Jerusalem have not been placed in frameworks
About 500 students have yet to undergo eligibility committees or receive placement notices due to bureaucratic delays by the municipality. This denies parents the right to appeal and prepare, and creates uncertainty in the transportation system. The Jerusalem Municipality acknowledges the issue, while the Ministry of Education clarifies that placement is the responsibility of the local authority.
About 500 special education students in Jerusalem may not start the upcoming school year due to bureaucratic delays by the Jerusalem Municipality regarding eligibility committees and notification processes. Parents describe the situation as a "luck-dependent roulette."
According to information obtained by "Hayom," hundreds of children have not yet undergone the initial eligibility and characterization committees required for placement in adapted institutions. Those who did undergo the process have often not received responses. This unusual delay leaves parents no time to appeal, prepare their children for new environments, or arrange for textbooks.
"Something not seen in years"
To study in a special education framework, a child must undergo a committee process typically completed by the end of the school year. Parents have a three-week window to appeal decisions, but the current delays have pushed this process into the final weeks of summer vacation.
"Every year this business works relatively smoothly," explains a senior official in the Jerusalem Municipality. "Except that this year, we are in a much worse place. There are hundreds of children who have not even undergone the initial committees, and many who did have not received answers. This is something not seen in years."
"We still haven't received an answer"
Osnat (a pseudonym), a mother of two children with special needs, shares her struggle: "My older son, entering ninth grade, is integrating into special education for the first time. We had our first committee in June, but we still haven't received an answer. I feel helpless. The school we hope he will attend doesn't even know he exists."
Osnat notes that the tight schedule makes appealing impossible. She fears that under time pressure, placements will be made based on system constraints rather than the children's individual needs.
The war as an excuse?
According to the senior municipal official, the city attributes the delays to the war. However, he believes this is merely an excuse: "The war was also present last year, yet we managed to complete all registrations and transportation arrangements. The real problem is that for six months, the position of head of special education has been vacant. Managing such a complex system without a manager is impossible."
Damage to the transportation system
Delays are also disrupting the transportation system, which serves approximately 25,000 children. Usually, parents know their child's transport arrangements by August 15th, but the current lack of placement data has stalled the entire process.
Responses
In its official response, the Jerusalem Municipality admitted to the uncertainty: "As of today, 471 students have not yet undergone a committee. We are doing everything possible to reduce the gaps and ensure every child has a framework suitable for their needs." The municipality denied that the vacant department head position caused the delays.
The Ministry of Education responded: "In the Jerusalem district, about 10,375 committees were held, and all scheduled committees were completed on time. It should be noted that the placement of students, in accordance with the eligibility determined and the choice of parents, is the responsibility of the local authority by law."
