Republicans Chairman Walberg of Michigan and Representative Mackenzie of Pennsylvania notified the district that it is under investigation.
On November 24, U.S. Representative Tim Walberg sent a letter to the School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington to inform him that the district is under investigation for allegations of antisemitism.
Letters were also sent to the superintendents of the Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia and the Berkeley Unified School District in California.
Representative Walberg is the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which will conduct the investigation.
“The Committee on Education and Workforce (the Committee) is investigating antisemitism in Philadelphia public schools, including whether there was or is a hostile environment against Jewish K-12 students and whether the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is fulfilling its obligation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) to end any harassment, eliminate any hostile environment and its effects, and prevent any harassment from recurring,” wrote Representative Walberg and Representative Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania to the school district.
“Today, SDP employs numerous educators who allegedly promote antisemitic content in their classrooms,” the congressmen wrote in the letter.
The letter references several examples of antisemitism occurring throughout the school district that have been reported by the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. Some incidents were reported by the media as well.
One teacher “allegedly threatened Jewish parents and students online. She and other Philadelphia educators also allegedly use lessons from an effort called Teaching Palestine, whose class materials rationalize terrorist violence and advocate for the destruction of Israel,” the letter said.
In another example, a senior administrator who serves as director of the social studies curriculum “has been widely condemned by the Jewish advocacy groups in light of his ‘pattern of denying the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, refusing to speak about peace or coexistence, and downplaying the lived experiences of Jewish people in the face of violence.’”
In their letter, Walberg and Mackenzie raised concerns about “whether antisemitic ideology is being taught in Philadelphia schools.” The letter requested specific documents from Superintendent Watlington relating to the committee’s investigation.
Since the attacks on Israel by the terrorist group Hamas on October 7, 2023, incidents of antisemitism have spiked around the country.
