Sewage, power outage and a construction site: the chaos at the special education school

Parents of children at the "Eitan" special education school in Ashkelon claimed on Sunday that their children continue to study in the building while extensive renovation work is being carried out, and that during the work a series of malfunctions occurred, culminating in sewage flooding and a power outage. Following the incident, dozens of parents were called to pick up their children from the site.

The school is intended for children with complex disabilities, including disabled students and those who need medical equipment and close assistance. According to the parents, during the renovations, a sewage pipe was damaged, part of the building was flooded, and the electricity was cut off.

According to them, the air conditioners and equipment used to treat the students were not working.

"We are talking about children with the most complex needs in the education system. There are children who are fed through medical equipment, children who need cranes for changing diapers, and children who suffer from seizures. They were left without electricity, without air conditioning, and without the ability to operate some of the equipment," said one of the mothers.

Chen, whose 15-year-old son has been studying at the school since he was five, said that her son is on a ventilator and is non-communicative.

"Only by luck did he not come to school yesterday. If he had needed to charge medical equipment or had been exposed to everything that happened there, I don't know what would have happened," she added.

"They are leaving the disabled children inside a construction site"

According to the parents, the problems in the building are not new, and over the years they have been dealing with flooding, sewage problems, and foul odors. According to them, it was previously promised that the school would move to a new building in January 2027, but the plan was not implemented. The municipality, on the other hand, claims that the move was postponed at the request of the parents and in accordance with the needs of the students, among other things due to the proximity to the therapeutic pool.

The renovation work is being carried out in parallel with the studies, and according to the parents, about 60 students are still staying in the building.

"They are leaving the most disabled children inside a construction site. There are tractors, excavators, noise, and dust," claimed one of the mothers.

Parents claim that the power outage prevented the operation of essential equipment, including cranes for caring for children and equipment for preparing adapted food. They also claimed that after the sewage flooding, no professional disinfection was carried out, and they demanded comprehensive safety and sanitation inspections.

The Ministry of Education stated that the supervisory authorities are in contact with the local authority and are monitoring the handling of the incident. The Ashkelon Municipality stated that the school is undergoing renovations in the amount of about 5 million shekels, in coordination with the parents' committee and the management. The municipality rejected the claims and stated that "the specific incident that occurred was handled immediately and already the next day the students returned to full activity."