Three advocacy groups have filed a complaint against the local school district, alleging it has created a culture hostile to Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims.
On Oct. 31, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), and the Arab Resource & Organizing Center filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) against Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD).
The complaint calls for an overhaul in several district policies. Spurred by the Israel-Palestine war, the groups claim SCUSD has fostered an environment that silences Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims through harassment, political suppression, ignoring safety concerns and different treatment of such students.
“Over the past year, we have received numerous complaints about the pervasive anti-Palestinian attitudes,” said Zahra Billoo, executive director at CAIR. “The district, in our perspective, has failed to protect students from anti-Palestinian sentiments … These are not new issues, they have been ongoing for the past year.”
The complainants detail a series of events involving a parent, a substitute teacher at Wilcox High School, and students. The Palestinian parent claims she was harassed at a Laurelwood Elementary School multicultural event. Instead of intervening, according to the complaint, school officials stood by idly. Further, the parent claims that she was denied substitute teaching opportunities and that school officials were similarly complacent in hostility toward her children.
Another situation involving speakers at Wilcox High School was also at issue. The complainants claim a student-led effort to bring a Palestinian speaker to the school was handled with white gloves, hamstringing the speaker in the name of “safety concerns.” Meanwhile, in response, the school brought in an Israeli speaker who the complainants say stoked anti-Palestinian sentiments, which school officials brushed off.
Repeated attempts, through a variety of means, to engage with the school district to address the problems have resulted in mixed messages, Billoo said, necessitating escalating the matter to the OCR. While the district has communicated a willingness to be supportive and engage with the issues, it has done little to solve them, she added.
“Their actions do not match their words,” Billoo said.
The OCR is already investigating a similar complaint from the groups in Berkley.
The advocacy groups say these situations are at odds with the district’s proclaimed values and that they hinder educational opportunities for the supposedly marginalized students. Toward that end, they are imploring the OCR to force the district to make a slew of changes to its policies.
Among those changes are establishing a better speaker vetting process and a task force to educate school employees on racism, hire therapists that reflect school demographics, clarify its controversial issues policy and issue a public apology.
In an email inquiry to SCUSD, Jennifer Dericco, SCUSD’s public information officer, wrote that the district directs the public to its website to access a variety of resources for addressing controversial issues. This portal is curated with groups that “champion diversity and protect student speech.”
“Santa Clara Unified School District is committed to our values of equity, empathy, and respect,” Dericco wrote. “Our schools are beautifully diverse, and we strive for environments where every young person and employee feels a sense of safety, welcome, and belonging.”
Additionally, Dericco wrote, the district has been working with a cross-section of the community to “review and clarify our policies on teaching controversial issues.” However, the district “need[s] time to review and investigate” the complaint before it makes a statement, she wrote.
While the groups await a decision from the OCR, Billoo said she hopes school administrators will “take their jobs seriously” to address the problems without being forced.
“Students are impacted right now,” Billoo said. “Our best cast scenario is that … administrators understand the urgency of addressing concerns in a way that helps all students feel safe.”
Read the complaint letter here.
The SCUSD has a history of anti-Palestinian bigotry. There was a lawsuit some years ago where administrators literally stalked a Palestinian student and the school board was involved in the bigoted behavior.
Jodi Muirhead is a staunch anti-Palestinian Zionist and she’ll block any work towards creating a healthy environment for students, parents and staff of Palestinian descent or those who are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. She needs to go.
The school board and administration foster a hostile environment – it’s tied even to the recent bullying that led to the tragedy of suicide. We need a complete overhaul of the school board and administration.