N.Y.C. Schools Chief to Testify as Congress Expands Antisemitism Inquiry
The New York Times
A congressional committee that questioned college presidents about how they have handled protests over the Israel-Hamas war is now focusing on K-12 school districts.
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.
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