U.S. House committee investigating BUSD for alleged antisemitism

BUSD officials said the congressional committee’s letter sent to them on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 concerns “old allegations” of antisemitism, that have already been addressed. Credit: Ximena Natera for Berkeleyside/Catchlight

Berkeley Unified was one of three school districts named on Monday in a new investigation by Congressional Republicans into claims of antisemitism at K-12 public schools.

The press release from the Committee on Education and Workforce, said the investigation was launched “after receiving disturbing reports of Jewish students being harassed and subjected to open antisemitism in their classrooms and hallways.”

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), who chairs the committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, also sent a letter Monday addressed to Berkeley Unified, co-signed by Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), also a commission member. In it, they allege that district staff “urged students to join walkouts and demonstrations during school hours that isolate and alienate Jewish students.” They claim that “antisemitism has also infected the classroom,” citing examples of imagery and messages allegedly displayed by teachers that they say are anti-semitic.

In early 2024, parents and groups filed a federal civil rights complaint alleging unaddressed “severe and persistent” harassment of Jewish students in BUSD. The district at the time said it received 15 formal complaints related to antisemitism or Islamophobia, adding that most of the investigations were nearly completed.

Months later, BUSD was hit with a lawsuit claiming that the district inadequately addressed “severe and pervasive racism” against Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students and staff.

In a statement sent to Berkeleyside on Tuesday afternoon, BUSD officials said the congressional committee’s Monday letter has to do with “old allegations” that were “raised almost 18 months ago, which our superintendent addressed when she appeared before Congress in May of 2024.”

In their letter, Walberg and Kiley said that the investigation aims to determine whether BUSD is or was a hostile environment for Jewish students.

“The Committee is deeply concerned that BUSD is failing to uphold its obligations under Title VI (of the 1964 Civil Rights Act), as suggested by numerous press and whistleblower reports,” reads the letter. “Since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks against Israel, Jewish and Israeli students have allegedly been regularly bullied and harassed.”

The committee is seeking documents to assess compliance and to determine whether legislation to “specifically address antisemitic discrimination” is needed.

BUSD officials said the district will respond “appropriately” to the letter, and affirmed its commitment to the safety and well-being of students. The district encourages anyone who experiences or witnesses discrimination or harassment to contact complaints@berkeley.net.

The investigation follows tensions in the U.S. amid an ongoing war in the Gaza region, which began when Hamas attacked Israel in 2023, killing 1,200 people. Israel’s subsequent military campaign has left more than 60,000 Palestinians dead. The violence in Gaza has reverberated into U.S. schools, influencing classroom discussions, student activism, and state policies, with polarizing opinions creating challenges in learning environments.

The other school districts being investigated in the federal probe are Fairfax County Public Schools, which is Virginia’s largest school district, and the School District of Philadelphia, which includes all of the city’s public schools.

U.S. House committee investigating BUSD for alleged antisemitism

Tags: