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Islamic Group Alleges SCUSD Has ‘Hostile Educational Environment’ For Palestinians

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.

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“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.

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9 Comments
  1. Fed up parent 3 weeks ago
    Reply

    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.

    • SCUSD parent 3 weeks ago
      Reply

      This comment is yet another example of the hostile and antisemitic environment in the SCUSD. A Jewish trustee is being targeted solely because of her identity and is unjustly blamed for a tragedy. This is a classic example of antisemitism—blaming Jews for everything.
      This is unacceptable and, unfortunately, reflects the pervasive antisemitic and anti-Zionist hostility faced by Jewish students, teachers, and officials in the SCUSD.

      • Fed up parent 3 weeks ago
        Reply

        SCSUD Parent – try again. I’m Jewish and there are plenty of us who stand strong with our Palestinian friends. You’re conveniently conflating anti-Zionism with anti-semitism which is the oldest trick in the book.

        • SCUSD parent 3 weeks ago
          Reply

          I’m Jewish, Zionist, and I support Palestinians and a two-state solution. Zionism is simply about Jews having their own state, like all other nations, and reestablishing it after exile. In 1948, Zionists accepted a two-state plan and sought to reestablish their state alongside a Palestinian state, which was unfortunately rejected by the other side.

          There is a significant Jewish and Israeli community in SCUSD, and everyone I know is a Zionist and supports peaceful coexistence and peace. Please stop fostering divisiveness and focus on promoting peace.

  2. Jim 3 weeks ago
    Reply

    Somehow, I sense that a “healthy environment for Palestinian students” means everybody submit to the demands of islam.

  3. Just saying 3 weeks ago
    Reply

    When all else fails it’s time to pull out the race card. This is the most liberal and progressive place in the United States. Come on…..

  4. Bill 3 weeks ago
    Reply

    This is a classic case of the bully trying to make themselves out to be the victim. If anything, SCUSD has had a history of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiments swept under the rug and ignored by administrators for years. Now, a small but very aggressive group of Palestinian families want nothing less than for SCUSD schools to teach pro-Hamas and anti-Israel propaganda.They will accept nothing less than teachers and staff telling students that Israel has no right to exist, and Hamas terrorists are heroes. They want this repeated in every class, and every event. The OCR would be funny if it weren’t so obviously racist and hate-filled.

    I find it interesting that Billoo, who has no attachments to SCUSD, seems to know so much about what students and parents experience. She is involved with CAIR, which (according to their own online accounts) is pro-violence, pro-civil unrest, pro-racism and very much for Jewish hatred. Any statement she makes should be verified before taken as fact.

    • Parent 3 weeks ago
      Reply

      It is deeply disturbing that CAIR is involved in the SCUSD district. The White House disavowed this group and its director following their October 7th statements.
      CNN:
      “We condemn these shocking, antisemitic statements in the strongest terms,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates stated in a statement shared with CNN.

  5. Sara 1 week ago
    Reply

    Thanks for covering this although there are multiple orgs who are involved in filing the complaint so the headline is a bit misleading. I’m sure you are aware there is a segment of the Palestinian population that is also Christian. Framing this as a religious conflict when it is more accurately an attempt to ethnically cleanse indigenous people is false and indicates a lack of research and knowledge. Please look into it and talk to your local school families.

    Finally, I urge all the SCUSD families to read the actual complaint to understand the extent the current administration messed up and discriminated against a vulnerable group. It’s actually disturbing to read the exchanges of the admin staff to think they can lie and cover up their actions. SCUSD has a tremendous responsibility to ensure all students are treated fairly and given an equal opportunity to learn and thrive. Creating a hostile environment for certain groups while touting the values of kindness and respect is incredibly hypocritical. Do better.

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