The number of antisemitic acts continue to increase within MCPS schools. At the May 10, 2023 Board of Education meeting two students, Gila Kay, a sixth grader in middle school, and Anya Kleinman, a freshman at Richard Montgomery HS, provided testimony about their, and their Jewish classmates, experiences with almost daily harassment and antisemitic threats. Apart from 'community conversations' MCPS has done little to address this issue. In fact, MCPS staff were asked repeatedly to address antisemitism in their antiracism audit, and they refused. Repeatedly.
Gila Kay stated that "Somebody told me as a quote unquote joke that my Jewish friend and I should be put in a concentration camp." She said, "I've seen swastikas on multiple desks at my middle school."
Here is Gila Kay's testimony in full. Both testified and there was no response from any member of the Board of Education, or staff.
The scourge of antisemitism must not be tolerated under any circumstances and only through education can we hope to over come it. Paula, can you provide more information about the sentence, " MCPS staff were asked repeatedly to address antisemitism in their antiracism audit, and they refused. Repeatedly." Thanks.
ReplyDeleteCertainly. I am a member of the Montgomery County Jewish Parents Coalition. As such, I participated in a few of the antiracist audit work meetings. At each one, our members asked that MCPS include antisemitism in their audit, the survey, the work, the staff training modules. We asked repeatedly and each time they refused. If you look at the antiracist audit you will see that nowhere does it mention antisemitism. That was a deliberate choice by MCPS staff.
ReplyDelete$450k wasted...
DeleteCompared to the $2.931 Billion Operating Budget it is a mere drop in the bucket. . .
Deletehttps://moco360.media/2023/06/02/mcps-forced-to-make-budget-cuts-as-pandemic-relief-funds-dry-up/
Delete"Key areas where the school board is considering cutting funds include summer school, extracurricular activities, outdoor education and food service, according to school board documents."
Cut Central Office not summer school and extracurricular activities. What do we care about? Paying high salaries for Central Office staff or helping kids? Some kids only go to school because they love their extracurricular activities. And summer school helps students kid those credits they need to graduate.
ReplyDelete