From ZOA.org:
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has filed a
civil rights complaint against Montgomery County
Public Schools (MCPS), alleging severe, persistent and pervasive antisemitism
in the schools that district officials have failed to address, in violation of
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The complaint, against Maryland’s
largest school district, was filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s
Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today.
The ZOA’s complaint documents years
of antisemitic harassment and intimidation endured by Jewish students and
staff, including the following:
- Ethnic slurs, such as “Jewish f—k,” “Jew-boy” and
Hey, Jew”; “Heil Hitler” salutes; and Jewish “jokes” from peers that
recommend that Jewish students should be put in a concentration camp. One
Jewish student was recently told that Hitler had not done enough and that
he should go back to Israel.
- School property throughout the district has been
defaced with swastikas.
- In December 2022, the entrance sign at one MCPS high
school was vandalized with the words, “Jews Not Welcome.” The day before,
several staff members at the high school received antisemitic email
messages.
- School staff who have publicly denied the Hamas
massacre on October 7, 2023, and who have publicly called for Israel’s
elimination are tolerated and remain in teaching positions in the
district. MCPS retained a staff member who promoted the lie that “Palestinians
are being killed and their organs are being sold.” MCPS hired this
staff member as a “diversity, equity and inclusion” teacher.
- Student “pro-Palestinian” walkouts at MCPS high
schools after the Hamas massacre disrupted school operations and caused
many Jewish students to stay away from school out of fear for their
safety. School officials tolerated the walkouts and remained silent even
after student protesters at these walkouts legitimized and encouraged
violence and terrorism against Jews and Israelis and called for Israel’s
destruction.
- At one MCPS high school, the organizers of the
“pro-Palestinian” walkout posted on social media that “There is no country
called Israel” and “‘Israel’ is a group of Zionist Jewish people from all
over the world & dont [sic] have a state.” The organizers also openly
called for Israel’s elimination, posting, “We want liberation, we want our
lands back. All of PALESTINE. From the river to the
sea.” School officials not only failed to condemn the conduct; they
allowed the walkout to proceed and disrupt classes, and later commended
the protesters for “demonstrating peacefully.”
- At another high school walkout in MCPS, a faculty
member overheard one student say, “We should bring Hitler back,” and
another student say, “Kill the Jews.” After being alerted to the
antisemitic comments and threat, the principal failed even to alert the
community or condemn the comments. Instead, the principal praised
the protesters for their “fantastic job.” Moreover, MCPS retaliated
against the faculty member who reported the antisemitic comments and
threat, by knowingly making false accusations against her and baselessly
sanctioning her.
- MCPS retaliated against other staff members after
they raised concerns about antisemitism in their schools.
ZOA National President Morton A.
Klein and Director of ZOA’s Center for Law and Justice, Susan B. Tuchman, Esq.,
stated, “The ZOA’s complaint is based on horrifying reports from parents and
teachers about the antisemitism that MCPS officials have known about for years
and have failed to address. Their indifference and inaction are a stark
contrast to how vigilantly district officials have responded when other ethnic
and racial groups were targeted.
“Members of the MCPS community have
spent years trying to resolve the antisemitism in their school district.
They’ve asked for district officials to speak out forcefully against
antisemitism, to appropriately discipline perpetrators, and to provide students
and staff with the training they need to understand how antisemitism is
expressed today and how to respond to it effectively. But these community
members have largely been met with indifference and even hostility from
district officials.
“We are grateful to the many
community members who came forward to share their painful experiences with
us. And we are hoping that the Office for Civil Rights will investigate
the ZOA’s complaint promptly and thoroughly. It’s time that MCPS is
finally held accountable under the law for failing to provide a learning
environment that is physically and psychologically safe for Jews.”
ZOAs Title VI Complaint Against MCPS 4-18-24 by freestategal on Scribd
