The chancellor of New York City’s public schools will testify about how the district is handling antisemitism before a congressional committee next month. It will be the first time that a K-12 district takes center stage in the House hearings focused on how schools are responding to a wave of student protests since Hamas’s attacks against Israel on Oct. 7.
At least two other districts were also invited to attend the hearing on May 8, according to the chancellor, David C. Banks. A spokesman for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce confirmed that Mr. Banks was asked to attend the hearing, but did not identify the other districts.
The earlier congressional hearings helped trigger the resignations of the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. Columbia University’s president is appearing before a congressional committee next week.
Now, representatives appear to be expanding their scope beyond higher education. The inquiry next month will offer a window into how the tensions on American college campuses are also stirring painful debates in public school communities.
High school students across the country have led a number of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel demonstrations against the war in Gaza, at times drawing the ire of Jewish families.
In New York, the nation’s largest school district, the system is still grappling with the aftermath of a raucous protest at a Queens high school late last year. Hundreds of students filled the halls, and officials said some were targeting a pro-Israel teacher. A number of other local schools have struggled with antisemitic episodes, including swastika graffiti, since Oct. 7.
Mr. Banks, who in an address after the Queens protest called what happened “completely unacceptable,” declined on Thursday to name the two other districts that were invited. He said that he looked forward to discussing how the city’s school system continues “to deliver an environment of tolerance and respect.”
“We are doing our best to meet the moment,” he added.
The hearing next month will elevate Mr. Banks and any other public school leaders who attend to one of the most high-profile stages of their tenures.
But the testimony will carry the risk of worsening tensions at home. On their campuses and beyond, the presidents of Harvard, Penn and M.I.T. were excoriated when they failed to say that students who called for the genocide of Jews would be punished.
The committee could cover a similar range of issues in the K-12 hearing, including discipline policies, the handling of antisemitic episodes and student protests.
Mr. Banks could face questions, for example, about how students were disciplined after the demonstration in Queens.
He may also be asked about a high school in Brooklyn, where a Jewish educator said she faced antisemitic comments and death threats from students. Mr. Banks has pushed back on the depiction of the student body, calling news coverage of the story “irresponsible” and saying it was “blown completely out of proportion.”
The city has taken some steps to help schools and educators better handle the war. Middle and high school principals were trained last month on having tough conversations about politically charged issues.
A number of Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students and educators have also reported episodes of bias since the fall, and officials announced in January that new curriculum materials on both Islamophobia and antisemitism would be offered to schools.
Still, some local Jewish families and educators in particular have criticized the response to hateful episodes as inadequate.
Tova Plaut, a preschool instructional coordinator who has spoken out at several rallies, said at a protest before the January announcement that officials had “failed at building safe and inclusive classrooms and schools for Jewish students, families and employees.”
The post N.Y.C. Schools Chief to Testify as Congress Expands Antisemitism Inquiry appeared first on New York Times.