UK haredi school probed for alleged violating lockdown for trip to Wales
Sllegations were made that the school took students on a two-day trip to Llandudno, a seaside town on the North Welsh coast that is very popular among haredim.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFPeople are seen enjoying the beach in Llandudno, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Llandudno, Wales, Britain, May 27, 2020.(photo credit: REUTERS/JASON CAIRNDUFF)
The UK's Department of Education has launched an investigation after a haredi (ultra-Orthodox) school in London were alleged to have taken students on a trip to Wales this week in violation of lockdown measures, the Jewish Chronicle reported.The school, Beis Medrash Elyon, is a small boys school in Hendon, a London suburb with a high Jewish population, whose students range in age from 11 to 16. According to the Jewish Chronicle, allegations were made that the school took students on a two-day trip to Llandudno, a seaside town on the North Welsh coast. The town has one of the few Jewish communities in North Wales, and is especially popular with haredim, with Chabad having a retreat center and the rebbe of Vizhnitz Hassidic dynasty in Bnei Brak having a summer home.Coronavirus lockdown measures throughout the UK differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but are in principle very similar. Regarding meeting friends and family indoors, however, the rules between England and Wales differ somewhat, in the sense that in Wales, two households can join together for indoor meetings, while England specifies social distancing measures indoors between households. However, Welsh rules specify that accommodations are only open so long as it does not “require guests to share washing facilities, toilets or kitchens,” according to the Jewish Chronicle.Regardless of restrictions, residential school trips should still be off the table, according to the Department of Education.“Residential school trips should not be taking place at this time,” a Department of Education spokesperson said, according to the Jewish Chronicle. “We will be contacting the school to establish the facts and, if necessary, remind them of their responsibilities.”This is not the first time the school has been the subject of criticism from the Department of Education. In 2018, the school was warned after they were judged to be inadequate in meeting independent school standards. An inspection found that there was a "strong culture of safeguarding," but noted the school made it clear that students could not discuss sexual orientation, along with other topics, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
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