House Republicans plan to investigate antisemitism by examining K-12 schools

Three prominent public school systems’ leaders will testify before Congress on Wednesday regarding their handling of incidents of antisemitism on their school campuses.

The witnesses set to testify represent New York City Public Schools, the Berkeley Unified School District in California, and the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.

This hearing is part of the Republican-led committee’s inquiries into how universities and K-12 schools have addressed pro-Palestinian student protests on their campuses.

Past hearings on this topic have led to resignations and protests, and this will be the first hearing to focus specifically on K-12 schools.

David Banks from New York City Public Schools acknowledged that the school system has had challenges in handling issues related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, but he expressed pride in the leadership’s response.

The Education Department is currently conducting civil rights investigations into allegations of antisemitism in both the New York City and Montgomery County school systems.

The Berkeley Unified School District is also under scrutiny after incidents of bullying and harassment targeting Jewish students, including the discovery of antisemitic graffiti in a high school bathroom.

All three districts, situated in liberal areas with diverse student populations, will face questions on free speech, oversight of teacher actions, and responses to student-led protests.

Student-led Pro-Palestinian protests involving phrases with potential antisemitic connotations have sparked conversations about what constitutes hate speech in school environments.

Overall, the hearing aims to address how educational institutions are managing issues of antisemitism, diversity, and free speech on their campuses.