WASHINGTON (AP) — Three major public school systems' leaders are set to testify before Congress on Wednesday regarding their handling of incidents of antisemitism on their campuses.
Representatives from New York City Public Schools, the Berkeley Unified School District in California, and the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland are scheduled to appear before a House Education and Workforce subcommittee. This hearing marks the first focusing on K-12 schools in the context of a series of inquiries by the Republican-led committee into how universities have responded to pro-Palestinian student protests.
The previous hearings were contentious, with the first in December leading to the resignations of the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. More recently, Columbia University's president, Minouche Shafik, faced protests spreading beyond her campus to colleges nationwide following her testimony.
David Banks, chancellor of New York City Public Schools, admitted last week that the school system had not been perfect in handling issues arising since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict. However, he expressed pride in the leadership's response. Banks emphasized the need to avoid reducing important discussions about antisemitism to viral moments and soundbites.
Both New York City and Montgomery Public Schools are under Education Department civil rights investigations for allegations of antisemitism. These cases revolve around whether the districts responded appropriately to student harassment, in accordance with Title VI, which prohibits harassment based on shared ancestry. Karla Silvestre, the board president of Montgomery County Public Schools, was also scheduled to testify at the hearing.
The Berkeley district has faced complaints as well. In February, the Brandeis Center filed a complaint with the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, citing instances of bullying and harassment of Jewish students. Despite not seeking the invitation to testify, Berkeley Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel is expected to address the committee.
All three districts, located in predominantly liberal areas, have diverse student populations and sizable Jewish American communities. School leaders will likely face questions regarding free speech and the extent of oversight on teachers' actions, including their personal social media presence outside of school.
In a lawsuit 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 for expressing pro-Palestinian sentiments, including on their personal social media pages.
Student-led pro-Palestinian protests, including walkouts during school hours, have occurred in high schools nationwide, including in the three districts appearing before Congress. These protests raise questions about whether certain phrases, such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”, which can have different interpretations, cross into antisemitism.
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This article was created using original reporting and publicly available information.