ADL files civil right complaint over alleged antisemitism in Philadelphia school district

The nation's largest Jewish advocacy group has filed a civil rights complaint against the Philadelphia School District, arguing that district leaders have failed to address antisemitism at K-12 schools and consequently allowed a climate of anti-Jewish vitriol to flourish.

The Title VI complaint filed Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League with the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is meant to supplement a similar federal complaint, filed in March, that focused on alleged antisemitism at Masterman, a magnet school.

The new complaint brings to light cases from schools across the district, which the ADL describes as a portrait of systemic harassment against Jewish students.

"At the end of the day, there is no more important duty than keeping our children safe and fostering an environment of tolerance," said James Pasch, the group's senior director of national litigation. "And here, the Philadelphia School District has failed in its duty to protect Jewish students and families."

The Anti-Defamation League cited examples of what it called hostile behavior toward Israeli and Jewish students, ranging from students praising Hitler to teachers posting social media messages critical of Israel and Zionism. The district, it claimed, repeatedly failed to intervene and in turn "knowingly allowed" schools to become "viciously hostile environments for Jewish students."

A school district spokesperson declined to comment on the new complaint, citing the district's policy to not discuss open investigations.

The filing comes amid sustained upheaval over Israel's retaliatory siege in Gaza following the Hamas attacks nine months ago. Dissent over the war has rattled schools across the Philadelphia region, from large universities to private Quaker institutions. Both Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania have faced federal complaints over antisemitism on campus.

Amid a national uptick in antisemitic and anti-Muslim sentiment since the war broke out, the Philadelphia School District has faced accusations of bias from students and teachers on both sides of the conflict. Pasch argued there is little room for ambiguity in the examples cited in the ADL complaint.

"There is no doubt that a line was crossed into significant antisemitism," he said.

What does the complaint claim was antisemitic?

A student at Penn Alexander School was allegedly cornered on multiple occasions by classmates and forced to say "Free Palestine" as well as "nasty things about Israel." During a technology class in March, a classmate of that same student posted a "quiz" on Google Classroom that asked, "What do we hate?" The choices were Palestine, Israel, and pork, with the latter two being marked as the correct answers.

The complaint alleges the school's principal would accuse the student's mother, who reported the bullying in December, of being "the problem" in a schoolwide meeting in May.

An eighth-grade student, whose school was redacted in the filing, said a classmate had given them a Nazi salute. The two later got into a scuffle in the hallway and a teacher sent them to the principal's office, where, according to the complaint, the eighth grader was falsely accused by the other student of starting the altercation. The boy, fearing continued bullying, finished the academic year at a virtual school and has since transferred to a suburban school.

Several cases involved teachers as well. On social media, an unidentified educator posted an excerpt of an Inquirer article about the March antisemitism complaint against the school district, with a comment that made light of the story.

Another teacher assigned ninth graders to draw protest posters.

Several students made signs that read "From the River to the Sea Palestine will be free." When a Jewish student's parents told the school the signs, which hung in the classroom, made their child uncomfortable, school officials said they needed district approval to take the posters down. While the school awaited a verdict, leaders sent the Jewish student to the library for several days, without instruction, until the district decided to take down the posters. That teacher's contract was not renewed.

The ADL said that, when Jewish parents reported these issues, the district did little address or curtail the behavior and that removing Jewish students from class served only to "normalize antisemitism."

Remedies sought to protect studentsDistrict parents have formed advocacy groups along partisan lines since October 7. A member of the School District of Philadelphia Jewish Family Association filed the first federal complaint against the district in March.

Philly Educators for Palestine, a pro-Palestinian grassroots organization, said it learned of the complaint Tuesday and said it contained multiple inaccuracies.

"We wish to emphasize that criticism of Zionism or the Israeli government is not antisemitism, and attempts to label it as such is not only antisemitic itself but troubling as it will shut down any opportunity for critical thought and discussion," the organization said in a statement.

The group emphasized its broad, multiracial coalition that includes Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and atheist educators "who believe in racial justice and firmly stand against genocide happening anywhere around the world."

The group said it will continue to stand in solidarity with Palestinians. The group is calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and has promised to keep fighting for the voices and rights of the student body, including Palestinian and Muslim students.

The ADL has suggested several remedies to improve the school climate for Jewish and Israeli students, including a district statement denouncing antisemitism and recognizing Zionism as "a key component of Jewish identity for many students."

The group is also calling for an independent investigator to examine the school climate with a focus on Jewish and Israeli students, a task force made up of Jewish student leaders and faculty that focuses on how to improve Jewish life in the district, and an annual training for students and staff on how to identify antisemitic stereotypes and conspiracy theories.

"We want firm commitments that we know are going to protect Jewish students and families throughout the district," Pasch said.

For its part, the school district said it's taking a series of actions to "promote inclusive, respectful learning spaces across" the school system for the coming academic year, including multiple reminders of how staff, students, and families can report harassment and discrimination.

The district said it also issued a request for proposals for "additional support" to district staff, students, and families, as well as forums scheduled to run through the fall that will focus on Congolese, Haitian, Jewish, Muslim, Palestinian, and Sudanese students, and how the district may better support them.