House Republicans will turn to K-12 schools in latest antisemitism probe

WASHINGTON -- The leaders of 3 ample nationalist schoolhouse systems volition look earlier Congress connected Wednesday to reply questions astir however they person handled incidents of antisemitism connected their schoolhouse campuses.

The witnesses scheduled to attest earlier a House Education and Workforce subcommittee correspond New York City Public Schools, the Berkeley Unified School District successful California and the Montgomery County Public Schools successful Maryland.

The proceeding comes amid a bid of inquiries by the Republican-led committee into however universities person responded to pro-Palestinian pupil protests connected campuses.

Those earlier hearings person been heated — the archetypal successful December precipitated the resignations of the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. Most recently, the grounds of Columbia University’s president, Minouche Shafik, escalated into weeks of protests that dispersed beyond her field to colleges crossed the country.

Wednesday’s proceeding volition beryllium the archetypal to absorption connected K-12 schools.

Speaking to reporters past week, David Banks, the chancellor of New York City Public Schools, acknowledged that the schoolhouse strategy had not been cleanable successful handling issues successful schools that person emerged since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas warfare but that helium was arrogant of however enactment had responded.

Banks said helium would not beryllium antiaircraft successful his quality earlier the sheet but seemed captious of however erstwhile hearings had rapidly been reduced to viral moments and video clips.

“I fundamentally judge that if we genuinely attraction astir solving for antisemitism, you don’t bash it done inexpensive governmental theatre and inexpensive soundbites," helium said. "Putting a spotlight connected immoderate peculiar idiosyncratic and sometimes trying to make gotcha moments and viral moments is not however you yet lick problems you profoundly attraction about.”

Both New York City and Montgomery Public Schools are subjects of Education Department civilian rights investigations into allegations of antisemitism. Both cases halfway connected whether the districts responded to harassment of students successful a mode accordant with Title VI, which prevents harassment based connected shared ancestry. Karla Silvestre, the committee president of Montgomery County Public Schools, was scheduled to attest astatine the hearing.

In February, the Brandeis Center, a Jewish ineligible advocacy organization, filed a ailment with the department's Office of Civil Rights, citing incidents of bullying and harassment of Jewish students successful the Berkeley district, including 1 lawsuit wherever the operation “Kill Jews” was recovered written successful a precocious schoolhouse bathroom.

In a statement, the territory said Berkeley Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel “did not question this invitation" but would testify.

“Berkeley Unified celebrates our diverseness and stands against each forms of hatred and othering, including antisemitism and Islamophobia," the connection said. "We strive each time to guarantee that our classrooms are respectful, humanizing, and joyful places for each our students, wherever they are welcomed, seen, valued, and heard.”

All 3 districts, successful predominantly wide areas, person divers pupil populations and a sizeable Jewish American community.

School leaders volition besides apt look questions connected issues of escaped code and however overmuch oversight is fixed to teachers' actions, including connected their idiosyncratic societal media beingness extracurricular of school.

In a suit filed against Montgomery County Public Schools by the Council connected American-Islamic Relations, 3 teachers alleged the territory placed them connected permission and investigated them due to the fact that they expressed pro-Palestinian sentiments, immoderate of which were connected their idiosyncratic societal media pages.

Student-led Pro-Palestinian protests person taken spot successful precocious schools crossed the country, including successful the 3 districts that volition look earlier Congress. The demonstrations see walkouts during schoolhouse hours, and similar their assemblage counterparts, see the question of whether definite phrases, including “From the stream to the sea, Palestine volition beryllium free!”, which tin mean wide antithetic things to antithetic groups, transverse the enactment into antisemitism.

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