The Philadelphia school district, one of the largest in the United States, has been found to have failed in protecting Jewish students from harassment, according to a federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Education.
The investigation showed that the district did not take proper action even after being warned many times about antisemitic behavior by students, teachers, and administrators.
Reports included students doing Nazi salutes, drawing swastikas on school property, and using slurs and threats against Jewish students.
In many cases, some incidents were not even documented by school staff.
Investigators also found that a school board member, an assistant superintendent, and four teachers posted antisemitic content on social media, which added to the hostile environment for Jewish students.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said the district failed to check if a hostile environment existed and did not take the right steps to fix or stop it from happening again.
The investigators sent a letter on December 18 to the district’s lawyers saying the school system had not followed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbids discrimination based on shared ancestry.
The Philadelphia school district agreed to make changes to fix the problem.
These changes include mandatory yearly training for all school staff, age-appropriate anti-harassment lessons for students, better record-keeping of complaints, and a clear statement against harassment and discrimination.
Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights, said these steps are important to make sure Jewish students, like everyone else, have a safe and respectful environment to learn in.
The investigation started after complaints were filed by Jewish advocacy groups, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
The ADL thanked the students and parents who spoke up, even though they feared backlash.
However, it’s not the first time complaints like these have been made.
The ADL has filed similar cases in other districts, including Berkeley and Santa Ana in California.
Andrew Goretsky, the ADL’s Philadelphia director, said many incidents of antisemitism go unreported because people are scared of backlash or don’t trust the schools to handle their complaints properly.
The rise in antisemitic behavior has been linked to global events, including the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The conflict began in October 2023 with a Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis.
Over the next 14 months, more than 45,000 Palestinians were reported killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
These events have created tension in schools and led to protests, some of which included antisemitic actions.
Earlier this year, a congressional hearing looked into antisemitism in K-12 schools.
Leaders from districts in New York City, Montgomery County in Maryland, and Berkeley in California denied they ignored antisemitism.
Nevertheless, the findings in Philadelphia show that more needs to be done to address the issue.
The Philadelphia school district said it takes all complaints of bullying, harassment, and discrimination seriously and is working to create welcoming environments for students.
The district promised to keep working on creating a welcoming and safe environment for all students.
It now has to follow through on its agreement with the Department of Education and show real progress.
