A Philly assistant superintendent has resigned from the Colonial school board after calling Israeli military ‘terrorists’

A Philadelphia school district assistant superintendent resigned this week as a member of a school board in Montgomery County amid outcry over her social media post that described Israeli Defense Forces as a “terrorist organization” carrying out a genocide against Palestinians. She remains employed in Philadelphia.

Jamina Clay resigned from the Colonial school board Thursday morning. She had served since 2021.

“Dr. Clay’s post was offensive to many and, as a school board member, this is unacceptable in a district that prides itself on cultivating a sense of belonging,” Colonial Superintendent Michael Christian said in a message to the community on Thursday.

In a Facebook post Thursday, Clay — who deleted her earlier post regarding the conflict — said that Colonial “needs to heal from the painful words that I chose, and it is best to do that in my absence.” She apologized for the post and said she hoped to learn from the situation. ”I will continue to pray for peace in the Middle East,” Clay said.

Philadelphia School District spokesperson Monique Braxton said the district’s free-speech policy, which spells out that “employees are protected by the First Amendment when speaking on a matter of public concern that is not part of their job duties,” applies to Clay’s situation.

But, Braxton said in a statement, “the views and opinions expressed in Dr. Clay’s Facebook post do not reflect the position, opinion or views of the School District of Philadelphia.”

Separately, the district’s policy on employee social media use reads, in part, that disciplinary action can be taken when a staffer’s social media use “damages the reputation of the School District of Philadelphia as an educational institution” or “has a negative impact on a staff member’s ability to effectively perform his/her duties.”

As an assistant superintendent, Clay is responsible for a learning network of 12 schools, whose principals report to her. She has served in that role since 2020.

The Colonial School District enrolls about 5,400 students from Conshohocken, Plymouth Township and Whitemarsh Township in Montgomery County.

Clay was not present for Colonial’s school board meeting Thursday night, where during an emotional public comment session, community members described feeling pain and outrage after seeing her post, which said, in part, that “the terrorist organization known to many as the IDF is currently targeting a hospital ... The world watches while the Palestinian people are eliminated,” with hashtags including “IDFTerrorist” and “GazaGenocide.”

Andrew Goretsky, a Colonial parent who serves as regional director of the Anti-Defamation League Philadelphia, said that he found Clay’s post not only to be offensive, but “as an educator, to be negligent.” He described the scope of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack as much larger than the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S., given Israel’s relatively small size.

“What is happening over there is no excuse for antisemitism or Islamophobia anywhere in the United States or around the world,” Goretsky said.

Others expressed anger and fear that went beyond Clay’s post.

“How will this board keep our children safe from the spread of antisemitism?” said Mark Wolfheimer, president of Congregation Or Ami in Lafayette Hill — one of numerous members of the congregation who spoke Thursday night.

Wolfheimer said he worried about potential repercussions to his family and home “because I am standing up to antisemitism in my community,” and said the district’s equity and inclusion program needed to include the Jewish community.

Spencer Yablon said that the “despicable views” in Clay’s post “bring to the surface what Jews have always felt — that antisemitism is all around us.”

Some community members who are Muslim said they were also pained by the unfolding debate. “Often the word ‘Muslim’ itself is conflated with the word terrorist,” said Rasheda Randall, who said that “people are so upset about words ... every 10 minutes a Palestinian child is being blown to bits.”

While “Clay’s words are hurtful, I understand that,” Randall said, “everybody in this community is hurting right now.”

Darren Sudman said that while he “strongly disagreed” that the IDF were terrorists, he warned against a rush to judgment.

“I want our children to learn how to seek understanding before handing down a sentence. I want them to learn empathy, how to grapple with nuance and how to hold multiple truths at the same time,” Sudman said. Without a dialogue with Clay, he said, “I’m disappointed we didn’t get the opportunity to model that for our kids tonight.”

Christian, the superintendent, told community members that “I certainly understand the magnitude of what has taken place, and how we need to continue to improve.” Christian said he had spoken with a number of religious leaders over the past 36 hours and would consider forming a group for further conversation.