Panel to target alleged reports of antisemitism in schools

GOP-led hearing to grill leaders from 3 districts

School district officials have faced off with students, parents, school board members, and teachers about issues related to the Israel-Hamas war. Next will be members of congress.

On wednesday, leaders from three public school districts — New York city; Berkeley, calif.; and montgomery county in maryland — will be questioned by members of the House committee on Education and the workforce, which has grilled four college presidents on accusations of campus antisemitism, helping to topple two of them.

For the three public school leaders, who are likely to face a similarly tense environment, “it’s hard to imagine a less welcome invitation,” said Justin Driver, a professor at Yale Law School who is an expert on how constitutional law applies to schools.

the three school districts, all diverse, have robust american Jewish communities. they are also in staunchly liberal areas, making them ripe targets for the Republicans who run the committee. and they have had their share of controversies.

In New York city, an elementary school posted a map of the “arab world” that did not label Israel, identifying the country as “palestine.” In montgomery county, outside washington, swastikas have been drawn on school desks. and in Berkeley, several teachers presented lessons that referred to Israeli “apartheid” against palestinians.

the district leaders — David Banks, chancellor of New York city schools; Enikia Ford morthel, superintendent of Berkeley schools; and Karla Silvestre, the school board president in montgomery county — must walk a tightrope at the hearing. they are likely to face complex questions about free speech and the point at which protest of Israel veers into antisemitism.

In addition to the House hearing, the Education Department is investigating the districts for their handling of antisemitism accusations, after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. muslim and pro-palestinian organizations have also said that many public schools are hostile to their views, whether by omitting palestinian history from the curriculum or by limiting propalestinian speech.

the congressional hearing is likely to focus on political speech by teachers, lesson plans that have included harsh critiques of Israel, and pro-palestinian student protests such as walkouts.

while the specific incidents may differ from those discussed at the college antisemitism hearings, “the underlying issue is the same,” said Representative Kevin Kiley, a california Republican and committee member. “we’re trying to ensure that campuses, whether secondary school or college campus, are safe for students and complying with civil rights laws.”

the Republican representatives may also use the hearing to campaign against what they see as a broader leftist orthodoxy gripping education, with questions on such topics as diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and discipline practices in schools.

part of the hearing may focus on the free-speech rights of individual teachers.

at a university, faculty members enjoy broad protections for free speech and academic freedom, whether they make statements in the classroom or at a protest.

But in public schools, employers can limit free speech when their employees are on the job. and public school teachers do not enjoy the same academic freedom rights as tenured college professors; they are expected to follow state and district curriculum standards.

But a teacher’s right to speak politically off campus is a gray area.

curriculum is another contentious issue. Schools have sometimes struggled to deal with the complexity of Jewish ethnic and religious identity. and Republicans tend to oppose curricular efforts — such as california’s push for ethnic studies — that view history through the lens of racial, ethnic, and gender oppression.