K-12 School Leaders Reject Accusations They Allowed Anti-Semitism to Run Rampant

WASHINGTON (AP) — Leaders of three large public school systems strongly denied accusations that they allowed anti-Semitism to run rampant in their schools and told a congressional panel Wednesday that they are fighting it with education and, when necessary, , discipline.

As part of a series of hearings on anti-Semitism, a House Education and Workforce subcommittee sought testimony from leaders of the New York City Public Schools, the Berkeley Unified School District in California and the California Public Schools. Montgomery County in Maryland.

“Let me be clear: We do not shy away from imposing consequences for hateful behavior, including anti-Semitism,” said Karla Silvestre, board president of the suburban Maryland school system.

The first of the hearings on anti-Semitism to focus on K-12 education comes amid a wave of pro-Palestinian student protests that have swept dozens of American universities and a growing number of high schools.

The committee hearings have been heated, the first in December precipitating resignations of the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. More recently, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik’s testimony sparked weeks of protests that spread far beyond her campus.

In a keynote address, Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., said anti-Semitism has become a “dominant force” in U.S. schools, with students as young as second grade “spewing Nazi propaganda.”

“He has been accused of doing nothing and turning a blind eye,” he said.

School leaders took issue with that statement.

Chancellor David Banks of New York questioned whether the panel’s actions had brought schools any closer to addressing anti-Semitism on campuses.

“This meeting feels like the ultimate ‘gotcha’ moment,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like there are people trying to solve something that we actually solve.”

Banks cited actions her district has taken, including student suspensions and employee layoffs. But he also emphasized the role of education, saying the district is building a new curriculum on the contributions of the Jewish community, along with separate lessons on hate crimes and bias.

“We can’t just discipline our way out of this problem,” Banks said. “The true antidote to ignorance and prejudice is to teach.”

Silvestre described a similar approach in Montgomery County. Classrooms have more lessons about the Jewish experience and the district will now require “hate-based training” for all staff, she said. Teachers who do not provide a safe learning environment “will not remain in Montgomery County Public Schools,” she said.

Each of the leaders acknowledged a rise in anti-Semitism, but Berkeley Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel denied that it has become “widespread.” Since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, her district has received complaints of anti-Semitism stemming from nine incidents within her jurisdiction, she said.

“We took steps to teach, correct and reorient our students,” he said. “We do not publish our actions because student information is private and legally protected under federal and state laws. As a result, some believe we do nothing. This is not true.”

Echoing a tactic from previous hearings, Republican lawmakers peppered school leaders with questions about what they consider anti-Semitic. When asked if the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is anti-Semitic, all three generally said yes, although with some ambiguity.

“It is if you call for the elimination of the Jewish people in Israel,” Ford Morthel said. “And I will also say that I recognize that it has different meanings.”

Throughout the hearing, Republicans demanded harsher consequences for teachers and principals accused of anti-Semitism. They repeatedly confronted Banks over the case of a high school principal who was reassigned but not fired after a chaotic student demonstration protesting a pro-Israel teacher.

Banks said it was “clearly an act of anti-Semitism” and some students were suspended. The principal was removed from the school “due to a lack of leadership” and moved to an administrative role.

Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, disputed that outcome, saying “we want results.”

“I’m hearing nice words, really nice words here: teach, redirect, lead,” Owens said. “What I’m missing is discipline and I’m missing the word ‘fired’.”

Pressed about layoffs and suspensions, Silvestre said Montgomery County has taken “disciplinary action” against some teachers, but none have been fired. Bean suggested that was not enough: “Then you allow them to continue teaching hate,” he said.

Speaking to reporters last week, Banks acknowledged that the school system had not been perfect in handling the problems that had arisen in schools since the start of the war in Gaza, but that he was proud of how leaders had responded. .

Banks seemed critical of the way previous hearings had quickly been reduced to viral moments and video clips.

“I fundamentally believe that if we really care about solving anti-Semitism, we don’t do it through cheap political theater and one-liners,” he said. “Putting the spotlight on any particular individual and sometimes trying to create snap moments and viral moments is not the way to ultimately solve the problems you care deeply about.”

Both New York City and Montgomery public schools are the subject of Department of Education civil rights investigations into allegations of anti-Semitism. Both cases focus on whether the districts responded to student harassment in a manner consistent with Title VI, which prevents harassment based on shared ancestry.

In February, the Brandeis Center, a Jewish legal advocacy organization, filed a complaint with the department’s Office for Civil Rights, citing incidents of bullying and harassment of Jewish students in the Berkeley district, including one case in which the phrase “Kill Jews.” written in a high school bathroom.

In a statement, Ford Morthel said he “did not seek this invitation” but would testify.

“Berkeley Unified celebrates our diversity and opposes all forms of hate and othering, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia,” the statement said. “We strive every day to ensure that our classrooms are respectful, humanizing and joyful places for all of our students, where they are welcomed, seen, valued and heard.”

All three districts, in predominantly liberal areas, have diverse student populations and a significant American Jewish community.

In a lawsuit filed against Montgomery County Public Schools by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, three teachers alleged that the district placed them on leave and investigated them because they expressed pro-Palestinian sentiments, some of which were on their personal Facebook pages. social networks.

Student-led pro-Palestinian protests have occurred in high schools across the country, including the three districts that will go before Congress. The demonstrations include strikes during school hours and, like their university counterparts, include the question of whether certain phrases, including “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” which can broadly mean different things to different groups: crossing the line into anti-Semitism.

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