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Several Philadelphia teachers urged the Board of Education Thursday to protect staff and students amid a congressional investigation into alleged antisemitism in the district.
U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Rep. Tim Walberg, a Michigan Republican, launched the investigation last month, alleging that the School District of Philadelphia “employs numerous educators who allegedly promote antisemitic content in their classrooms.”
In a letter to the Superintendent Tony Watlington, Walberg said the committee has gotten allegations that the Philadelphia school district “is rife with antisemitic incidents” and targeted certain district educators who it alleges “promote antisemitic content.”
The House committee’s investigation follows a separate U.S. Department of Education civil rights investigation into antisemitism in the district that concluded last year. The department found that the district did not adequately address incidents of antisemitism. In response, the district agreed to review and revise its anti-harassment policies and provide appropriate training on racial and ethnic discrimination to all students and staff, among other commitments.
Walberg’s letter states that the term “potential antisemitic incidents” includes any incidents involving the targeting of “Jews, Judaism, Israel, Israelis, Zionism, or Zionists.” Several civil rights groups have previously urged House lawmakers not to conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism.
The committee’s requests include asking the district to provide all communication since Oct. 7, 2023, “referring or relating to Jews, Judaism, Israel, Palestine, Zionism, or antisemitism.”
The committee also launched similar investigations into the school districts in Berkeley, California, and Fairfax County, Virginia.
The Board of Education did not address the investigation at its meeting Thursday, and a school district spokesperson said the district does not comment on ongoing investigations.
However, several teachers and community members testified at the meeting, calling on school leaders to refuse to share additional information with investigators that could put staff at risk.
“This new investigation is political theater and government overreach,” said district educator Alexandra Volin Avelin. “It is not about protecting students. It’s about intimidating and silencing teachers.”
Volin Avelin, who is Jewish, said she also opposed how the House committee defined antisemitism. “Sharing accurate information about events in Israel and Palestine is not antisemitism,” said Volin Avelin. “The district must clearly reject this attempt to weaponize antisemitism and silence dissent.”
Neither the Department of Education’s investigation nor the House committee’s investigation addressed a separate civil rights complaint alleging discrimination against Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students at a district middle school. The Trump administration closed the department’s civil rights office in Philadelphia in March, leaving cases in limbo.
District teacher Freda Anderson, who is Jewish, said she worries about rising antisemitism and reports of threats to Jewish religious schools in Philadelphia.
“Yet none of this is what the feds have chosen to investigate,” Anderson said. “It’s a witch hunt, and it will target Black, brown and Muslim students and staff, while doing nothing to protect Jewish people.”
If the House investigators target those student and staff groups, Anderson said the board has a clear duty: “It will be your job to protect these people.”
Rebecca Redelmeier is a reporter at Chalkbeat Philadelphia. She writes about public schools, early childhood education, and issues that affect students, families, and educators across Philadelphia. Contact Rebecca at rredelmeier@chalkbeat.org.
