Jews in public schools encounter rising adversity and pressure in everyday school life
In public schools across America, Jewish students are experiencing an increase in antisemitic incidents, causing fear that extends beyond the physical realm and into the emotional and identity-based realms. These incidents range from overhearing Holocaust denial to wearing a Star of David necklace with suspicion, judgment, or hostility.
The pressure and fear faced by Jewish students is not just a burden they carry in isolation. They are also grappling with academic stress, social pressure, and anxiety that comes with being a student. However, many students are refusing to shrink themselves in response to antisemitism, instead learning how to respond with dignity and courage.
To address this issue, schools are being urged to treat antisemitism with the same urgency as any other form of hate. Establishing clear policies and reporting channels is a crucial first step. School districts should require their codes of conduct to define antisemitism as prohibited harassment, include examples, and set clear disciplinary and remediation pathways. Multiple, easy-to-use reporting channels, such as online forms and hotlines, should be created and publicized to students, staff, and families.
Safety, security, and immediate supports are also essential. Coordination with local law enforcement, school resource officers, and Jewish community security partners can help assess threats and implement safety measures when incidents rise. Providing timely, confidential support for targeted students, such as counseling, academic accommodations, and options to change schedules or participate remotely during acute threats, is also crucial.
Education and prevention programs are key to reducing antisemitism in schools. Age-appropriate Holocaust and antisemitism education should be implemented as required content or through vetted curricula. Adopting evidence-based anti-bias and inclusion curricula, such as restorative practices, social-emotional learning, and bystander intervention training, can help reduce hostile climates and teach students how to intervene safely.
Staff and leadership training is also necessary to ensure that teachers, counselors, and administrators can recognize antisemitic harassment and respond appropriately. Offering professional development on distinguishing protected speech from harassment and on treating Jewish students’ concerns seriously while protecting academic freedom is essential.
Partnerships with Jewish communal organizations and external resources can provide valuable assistance in handling antisemitism in schools. These organizations can offer threat assessments, training, curricula, and security planning. Using national civil-rights guidance for handling religious harassment claims and for compliance with federal anti-discrimination law is also important.
Communications and community engagement are vital in rebuilding trust and clarifying expectations for behavior. Timely, transparent communications after incidents should acknowledge the harm, outline steps taken, and offer supports while avoiding politicization. Convening community dialogues with Jewish leaders, students, parents, and other stakeholder groups can help rebuild trust and clarify expectations for behavior.
Data, monitoring, and accountability are essential for measuring the effectiveness of interventions and identifying hotspots. Tracking incidents centrally and publicizing sanitized, aggregated trends can help maintain accountability. Reviewing and revising policies annually and after major incidents, guided by data and community feedback, is also important.
Resources such as model policies and investigation templates from civil-rights organizations and education associations, age-appropriate Holocaust curricula and lesson plans endorsed by historians and Jewish organizations, bystander intervention and anti-bias training modules for students and staff, threat assessment and campus security guidance from Jewish Federations and community security partners, and legal guidance on Title VI/Title IX/First Amendment boundaries from education law organizations and OCR summaries are all valuable tools in combating antisemitism in schools.
The goal for Jewish students is to be able to wear their Star of David without fear. With a comprehensive approach that includes clear policies and reporting, targeted safety and support measures, education and prevention programs, staff training and accountability, partnerships with local Jewish and civil-rights organizations, and accessible mental-health and restorative supports for affected students, schools can help create a safer and more inclusive environment for all students.
- It is crucial for schools to establish clear policies and reporting channels to address antisemitism, ensuring that it is treated with the same urgency as other forms of hate, so that Jewish students can feel safe and secure in their academic environment.
- In addition to implementing age-appropriate Holocaust and antisemitism education, adopting evidence-based anti-bias and inclusion curricula, such as restorative practices, social-emotional learning, and bystander intervention training, can help reduce hostile climates and teach students how to intervene safely.
- Partnerships with Jewish communal organizations and external resources are essential in handling antisemitism in schools, as these organizations can offer threat assessments, training, curricula, and security planning to help create a safer and more inclusive environment for all students.
