Philadelphia School District reaches settlement with DOE over anti-Semitism

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced in late December that it had reached an agreement with the School District of Philadelphia to ensure that the district complied with certain requirements of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which the district was alleged to have violated, particularly since they relate to creating a safe environment for Jewish students.

A press release from the Office of Civil Rights in late December said the district “repeatedly and comprehensively notified during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years about shared ancestry harassment that could create a hostile environment for students.” Violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin, including common ancestry and ethnic characteristics.

According to the OCR, most of these tips were due to incidents of anti-Semitism, which included Nazi salutes and other anti-Semitic slurs, drawing swastikas, threats to “kill the Jews,” and students “dressing up like Nazis with one.” Swastikas around each arm, spitting out fake German and shouting Hitler through the halls” and allegations of staff misconduct on social media.

In a press release from the Anti-Defamation League issued this summer at the time the complaint was filed, the organization accused mass mismanagement that resulted in a stressful environment for young Jews.

“Jewish parents have regularly reported numerous troubling incidents affecting their children to the SDP administration, but the district has done virtually nothing to address the hostile environment. In fact, the complaint states, “students and parents who reported anti-Semitic incidents were themselves subjected to blatant retaliation,” the statement said.

The terms of the settlement are extensive. These include requiring the school district to issue an anti-harassment statement; review its policies and procedures and submit revisions to the OCR for approval; create or modify its current complaint documentation process; train all employees annually on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act; Training investigative staff in new procedures for reviewing, investigating and documenting discrimination complaints; Create an educational program for all middle and high school students that addresses discrimination based on race, color, and national origin, including harassment based on common ancestry and ethnic characteristics. review its previous responses to complaints filed over the past two school years; Conduct an audit at each middle and high school to monitor and ensure compliance, among other feedback methods, and retain or designate a consultant with expertise in the field to assist with some of these various needs.

In the press release, the OCR stated that “despite this detailed notice, the district has not demonstrated compliance with its obligations under Title VI,” except in a single instance in which the school district sought outside advice.

For example, the OCR cited a case in which a teacher in a position of authority spoke at a school-wide assembly and asked, regarding another topic, whether “it was really the anti-Semitism that made you uncomfortable, or whether it was the truth?”

Following this incident, the district was asked to assess its status as a welcoming environment for all students – an assessment on which the district did not provide information when requested by the OCR.

In the ADL’s press release, the organization lists several additional examples drawn from complaints filed with the district that paint a better picture of what Jewish students in the district have experienced over the past two years.

An eighth-grader was forced to drop out after the district’s inadequate response to bullying, which included attacks such as the Hitler salute and the phrase “Praise Hitler.”
A fourth-grade student at another school was bullied in the hallway and asked on a computer quiz, “Who do we hate?” The two correct answers are “Israel and pork.”

Swastikas have been drawn or depicted in some form at a number of schools, including Masterman School, Southwark School, Swenson Arts and Technology High School and George Washington High School.

During a Halloween celebration in the weeks following the October 7, 2023 attacks, a student walked into an SDP school dressed as a “Palestinian freedom fighter” and attempted to drape a Palestinian flag over a Jewish student, according to the ADL.

“Philadelphia schools have a long history of providing a safe and welcoming environment for students of all identities. However, in the recent past – and particularly after October 7 – we have seen a sharp increase in incidents and attitudes that alienate Jewish students, faculty and families,” said Andrew Goretsky, ADL Philadelphia regional director.

“Jewish students face a shameful and pervasive litany of anti-Semitic harassment from their peers as well as from teachers and administrators charged with educating our children. This pattern is dangerous, completely unacceptable and must be stopped now.”
Goretsky added that this is not a solution, but a first step.

“This is a first step and a necessary step to begin addressing the clear evidence of harassment and discrimination against Jewish students in the school district,” he said. “And so I’m cautiously optimistic that these measures address the first step in making sure that when there’s misinformation and disinformation and when there’s misinformation, when a student is being harassed, they’re able to intervene appropriately.” Start their mindset to change.”

A district spokesman did not respond to a request for comment sent over the Christmas holiday.

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