The Department of Education (ED) on Thursday announced an investigation into the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) over allegations of discrimination against Jewish students.
ED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) said it received reports that some NYCDOE employees have formed a group called “NYC Educators for Palestine.” OCR said the reports allege that the group has organized several teaching seminars about “Palestine, Zionism, and Resistance” and has taught children as young as five about “contemporary and historical Palestinian resistance,” and that Zionists are “genocidal white supremacists.” The group is also accused of supporting the federally designated terrorist organization Hamas and its “martyrs,” ED said in a press release.
ED said OCR has received complaints that the group has sown “hostility and hatred” toward Jewish students and has potentially created a “hostile environment.” ED said the investigation is to determine whether or not NYCDOE has violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating against Jewish students.
“No child should be taught by his or her teachers to hate their peers. Neither should Jewish children be taught that being Jewish somehow makes them inherently guilty or proponents of hate and violence,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in statement.
“Discrimination has no place in our schools, and, unlike the previous Administration, the Trump Administration will not turn a blind eye to antisemitic harassment. OCR will investigate these appalling allegations to ensure the equal treatment of all students,” Richey added.
ED said the investigation is in compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism.” The department also noted education programs must comply with Title VI to receive federal funding.
Dominique Ellison, a spokeswoman for the city’s schools, told the New York Times that NYC Educators for Palestine is not affiliated with the district.
“We received this notice today, and we are reviewing,” Ellison said,
The activist group did not respond to a request for comment from the Times by time of publication.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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