The Midwest Steps Up Against Antisemitism in Schools
By Mitch Siegler, Founder

Parents expect schools to make their children feel safe and valued. A major lawsuit filed recently in California paints a troubling picture of what happens when schools abandon that responsibility.

The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and StandWithUs, Jewish civil rights organizations, filed suit on behalf of several Jewish families against the State of California, its Department of Education and State Board of Education, and Superintendent Tony Thurmond, alleging that Jewish students in public schools have faced persistent harassment and discrimination while state officials failed to intervene. The lawsuit cites incidents across multiple school districts, including Los Angeles, Berkeley, San Francisco, Fremont, and Oakland.

According to the complaint, Jewish students have faced threats, slurs, and intimidation, while some curricula and classroom environments have contributed to, even fostered, a hostile climate. The plaintiffs are asking the court to require the state to have stronger oversight of schools, mandate antisemitism training, appoint a committee to review ethnic studies curricula and teacher training materials, and ensure that state civil rights protections are properly enforced.

The examples laid out in the suit are appalling. One student was forced to sit through a “celebration” of the October 7 attacks, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. A teacher promoted a walkout in which her students chanted “F*** the Jews”; instead of canceling this antisemitic walkout, the school decided to separate a Jewish student from his classmates. A parent said that her 12-year-old son “refuses to speak about his Jewish heritage and wear his Jewish star anymore at school,” after being harassed by a teacher who threatened that he might be held back in 7^th grade.

No child should have to navigate such hostility.

At THINC Foundation, we believe every student deserves an education grounded in mutual respect and civic responsibility. Students can’t learn to engage thoughtfully with different perspectives if they’re being harassed, intimidated, or taught that there is only one right answer. All parents and community members should be concerned since If any student or ethnic group is targeted or schools fail to enforce non-discrimination or civil rights protections for any group, no student or ethnic group is safe.

This issue reflects a broader challenge in education today that goes well beyond my home state of California. Schools are increasingly failing to foster environments focused on learning, critical thinking, and constructive dialogue. When ideological agendas enter the classroom, as they so often do, they create division and resentment rather than understanding. All school officials – school boards, administrators, teachers and teachers’ unions – share in the responsibility and have considerable work to do to restore trust.

The exploration of complex issues must happen in an environment that protects the dignity and safety of every child. No student should ever feel that their identity makes them a target in the classroom.

Although young people must learn how to navigate disagreements, they should not expect to encounter discriminatory hostility at school. Keep an eye on this lawsuit, as it could well result in much-needed policy changes – to protect Jewish and non-Jewish students – at the state, and local level.