Philadelphia School District Building. (Via wikicommons)
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, has launched an investigation into allegations of antisemitism in the School District of Philadelphia.
On Nov. 24, Walberg sent letters to SDP Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington, as well as to the superintendents of the Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia and the Berkeley Unified School District in California, informing them that their school districts are under investigation.
“The Committee on Education and Workforce (the Committee) is investigating antisemitism in Philadelphia public schools, including whether there was or is a hostile environment against Jewish K-12 students and whether the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is fulfilling its obligation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) to end any harassment, eliminate any hostile environment and its effects, and prevent any harassment from recurring,” Walberg and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) wrote in the letter to the SDP.
The SDP declined to comment in response to an inquiry from Philadelphia Jewish Exponent.
“It is the policy of the School District of Philadelphia to refrain from commenting on active investigations,” said Deputy Chief of Communications and Spokesperson Monique Braxton.
The letter cites examples of antisemitic incidents reported by organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, as well as incidents reported by the media.
“Today, SDP employs numerous educators who allegedly promote antisemitic content in their classrooms,” Walberg and Mackenzie wrote.
The letter said one teacher “allegedly threatened Jewish parents and students online. She and other Philadelphia educators also allegedly use lessons from an effort called Teaching Palestine, whose class materials rationalize terrorist violence and advocate for the destruction of Israel.”
The letter also cited incidents involving a SDP senior administrator who serves as director of the social studies curriculum “who has been widely condemned by Jewish advocacy groups in light of his ‘pattern of denying the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, refusing to speak about peace or coexistence, and downplaying the lived experiences of Jewish people in the face of violence.’”
In a recent example, after the murder of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., and an antisemitic firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado, the senior administrator allegedly wrote, “The groups who align themselves with American savageness should not be surprised when the savageness is turned on you[.]”
Additionally, Walberg and Mackenzie raised concerns about “whether antisemitic ideology is being taught in Philadelphia schools. For example, in August, the Council on American Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) Philadelphia chapter announced that it would be partnering with Philadelphia schools. CAIR Philadelphia’s website promoted a workshop that invoked the antisemitic trope of Jewish ‘political power,’ promising to study “the controversial topic if [sic] Jewish political power in the U.S.”
The members of Congress noted that the executive director and co-founder of CAIR’s national organization has said that he was “happy to see people breaking the siege” on Oct. 7, 2023, which the letter referred to as “the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.”
The letter to SDP asked Superintendent Watlington to provide specific documents relating to the House committee’s investigation no later than Dec. 8.
The documents requested include an organized list of all complaints received by SDP made against any students, staff, or faculty in relation to possible antisemitic incidents since Oct. 7, 2023.
In addition, the letter also requested documents since Oct. 7, 2023, that reference or relate to “walkouts, toolkits, workshops, curricula, course materials, educational material, guest speakers, lecture series, partnerships, teacher training, or professional development, referring or relating to Jews, Judaism, Israel, Palestine, Zionism, or antisemitism, in the possession of SDP schools or offices.”
Walberg and Mackenzie also asked the SDP for “All documents and communications referring or relating to contracts or agreements involving SDP since January 1, 2022, that refer to Jews, Judaism, Israel, Palestine, Zionism, or antisemitism,” as well as “All documents, including slides, recordings, notes, and drafts, referring or relating to SDP antidiscrimination trainings, including those on antisemitism, since January 1, 2023.”