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Leaders of some of the nation’s leading school districts went before Congress to defend their records of combating rising K-12 antisemitism, but lawmakers were skeptical any of them would be making the honor roll.
Top school officials from New York City, Berkeley, California, and Montgomery County, Maryland, said they have taken action to stem the surge in antisemitic harassment, graffiti and bullying. But there was no evidence that any student had been expelled nor any faculty member terminated.
“I’m hearing really nice words here: teaching, redirecting, directing,” said Rep. Burgess Owens, Utah Republican, at the Wednesday hearing. “What I’m missing is ‘discipline’ and the word ‘fired.’”
That included the principal of Hillcrest High School in Queens, who lost his job in November after an anti-Israel riot in the hallway to demand a pro-Israel teacher’s resignation, prompting her to lock herself in her classroom for two hours.
David Banks, chancellor of the New York City Public Schools, said the principal was “removed” for poor leadership, but acknowledged under questioning from Rep. Elise Stefanik, New York Republican, that the principal was not fired but reassigned to the central office.
“You understand our concerns as policymakers when we have witnesses testify, whether it’s Columbia University, Penn, Harvard, or the New York City chancellor … that there is a set of rules, but that individuals who violate those rules are not held accountable,” Ms. Stefanik said.
The hearing before the House Education and the Workforce subcommittee on secondary education was the first to be held on K-12 antisemitism since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel, which prompted Israel to declare war.
High schoolers may not be building pro-Palestinian encampments like their collegiate counterparts — at least not yet — but the committee cited numerous examples of alarming antisemitic activity at the K-12 level, including chants of “kill the Jews” at student walkouts and anti-Israel bias in the classroom.
Mr. Banks said the district has suspended 30 students and “removed or disciplined” a dozen staff members and a principal. He has brought in the New York Police Department when necessary and retrained all 1,600 of the school system’s principals.
“But ultimately, we are not going to suspend our way to inclusion and acceptance,” he said. “I believe that hate is learned — and to reverse it, we must start a conversation.”
Taking exception was Rep. Lisa McClain, Michigan Republican, who said she was “appalled” by his statement.
“Your ability to tolerate this behavior is completely unacceptable,” she said. “And sometimes you do need to use the stick, because disincentives work.”
Karla Silvestre, Montgomery County Board of Education president, said that the district took disciplinary action against teachers. “We do not shy away from imposing consequences for hateful behavior, including antisemitism,” she said.
Rep Aaron Bean, Florida Republican, asked if the district had fired anyone over antisemitism. Ms. Silvestre said no. “So you allow them to continue to teach hate,” he said.
Enikia Ford Morthel, superintendent of the Berkeley Unified School District, said that since Oct. 7, the district has had formal complaints alleging antisemitism stemming from nine incidents but insisted that “antisemitism is not pervasive in Berkeley Unified.”
Her testimony came the day after the Department of Education launched an antisemitism investigation into Berkeley following complaints filed by the Brandeis Center and the Anti-Defamation League alleging that administrators “knowingly allowed its K-12 schools to become hostile environments for Jewish and Israeli students.”
The complaints said that a second-grade teacher told students to write “Stop Bombing Babies” on sticky notes to be displayed outside a Jewish teacher’s room; teacher-promoted walkouts praising Hamas, and a teacher displaying a poster with a Palestinian flag punching through a Star of David.
Mr. Morthel refused to say whether any staff had been fired, citing personnel confidentiality.
“Our babies sometimes say hurtful things. We are mindful that all kids make mistakes,” Ms. Morthel said. “We know that our staff are not immune to missteps either, and we don’t ignore them when they occur.”
.@BerkeleyUnified Superintendent Ford denies that antisemitism is pervasive in her school system…
— House Committee on Education & the Workforce (@EdWorkforceCmte) May 8, 2024
But @RepKiley reads an exhaustive, stunning, and tragic list of antisemitic acts within Berkeley schools pic.twitter.com/aRBhxn2Gqx
Before the hearing, Parents Defending Education hosted a press conference with Jewish students, parents and a teacher warning about the rise of antisemitism in public schools.
Ilana Pearlman, whose son attends Berkeley High School, said that she has been jeered and mocked at school board meetings for speaking out about antisemitism in the schools. The administration has dismissed and “undermined” parents raising concerns.
“Berkeley Unified picked a side on Oct. 7, and I recognize that,” she said. “The only posters that we see are anti-Israel, and that’s terrifying for Jewish students.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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