Congress holds antisemitism hearing focused on K-12 schools in liberal cities
(CNN) — Lawmakers on Wednesday grilled the leaders of three school districts in liberal cities about alleged antisemitic incidents, marking the first such Congressional hearing to focus on K-12 schools.
The hearing, which began at 10:15 am ET, gave Republicans a chance to confront officials from New York City; Berkeley, California; and Montgomery County, Maryland, about reports of antisemitism in their districts.
The K-12 hearing is being held by the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and will also include a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union.
It’s no coincidence that the witnesses at Wednesday’s hearing represent school districts in liberal cities. Republicans have sought to score political points by attacking “woke” policies that they say allow for hate speech.
A separate House committee had planned to hold a hearing about reports of antisemitism on George Washington University’s campus. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Metropolitan Police Chief Pam Smith were set to testify before about their response to an encampment on campus. But after that encampment was cleared Wednesday morning, and police arrested dozens of people, the committee called off the hearing.
Ivy League school presidents have also been hauled before Congress for tough questioning on campus antisemitism. The presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania were toppled in the wake of a December hearing.
The interrogation will come a day after the US Department of Education said in a letter reviewed by CNN that it is investigating Berkeley Unified School District for allegations of discrimination based on a shared Jewish ancestry or being Israeli.
A copy of the letter, sent to the Anti-Defamation League and the Brandeis Center, says the department’s Office for Civil Rights will investigate whether the district complied with Title VI requirements to prevent discrimination and harassment. The department is also investigating whether the Berkeley district retaliated against two parents who complained about harassment based on Jewish ancestry.
CNN has reached out to the school district for a comment. The Education Department referred questions to a list of schools currently under investigation for shared ancestry claims. However, that list does not currently include the Berkeley school district.
The complaint filed by the Brandeis Center details dozens of incidents at Berkeley, including students allegedly shouting: “kill the Jews,” and “F— the Jews” as well as “KKK.”
Enikia Ford Morthel, the superintendent of the Berkely Unified School District, is among the three school officials scheduled to testify on Wednesday.
She will join David Banks, chancellor of New York City Public Schools, and Karla Silvestre, president of the Montgomery County Board of Education.