The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has filed a formal complaint to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights alleging that the Philadelphia school district has failed to protect Jewish students from “a virulent wave of antisemitism” that swept through classrooms after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th.
The district, among the largest public school systems in the U.S., has ignored persistent harassment and bullying of Jewish students, some of whom have been forced to drop out, lawyers wrote in the complaint. Some teachers and administrators have spread inflammatory anti-Jewish and anti-Israel messages on social media and even in the classroom without repercussion, the complaint said.
The ADL asked the Office of Civil Rights to order the district: (1) to issue a statement denouncing antisemitism, and (2) to take disciplinary action against teachers and students who engage in discrimination and harassment. The ADL also argued that it was necessary to provide training for faculty, staff, and students and the removal of antisemitic posters, flags, and other material on school property.
A school district spokesperson declined to comment on an active investigation, but said in a statement Tuesday night that the district “seeks to create safe learning spaces while navigating diverse perspectives and how students and staff are experiencing complex current events.”
A recent congressional hearing on antisemitism in K-12 education, with the leaders of New York City Public Schools, the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, and the Berkeley Unified School District in California all denying they had failed to address hostility toward Jewish people.
