Philly schools accused of antisemitism in a federal complaint filed by a Masterman parent

A federal complaint has been lodged against the Philadelphia School District, accusing the school system of antisemitism in connection with a series of incidents ranging from a swastika drawn on a door to fliers describing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as genocide that a group of Jewish district parents say shows a troubling pattern.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights is investigating the claim, according to the School District of Philadelphia Jewish Family Association. A district spokesperson said she could not comment because of the ongoing investigation. Federal complaints over both antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen sharply since Oct. 7; both the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University have been the target of such inquiries in recent months.

The school district claim, reviewed by The Inquirer, centers on incidents at Masterman, the district magnet school in Center City. It was filed by a Masterman parent who is a member of the district Jewish families group and whose name is being withheld because of safety concerns.

Organization officials say the Masterman incidents are representative of an issue at schools around the city.

“We’ve seen so much antisemitism happening inside Philadelphia schools, and much of it has gone unchecked,” said Jason Holtzman, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.

The first incident cited in the federal complaint happened last July, when a Masterman student posted a picture of the Israeli flag with the word “trash” written across it. Another student captured the post and reported it to the district as cyberbullying.

Multiple other incidents are described, including one in which a student dressed as a Palestinian freedom fighter for Halloween and attempted to drape another student in the Palestinian flag, one where a swastika was drawn on a school door, and another where a bake sale for Sudan was held — in violation, the parent who filed the complaint said, of the district’s fundraising policy. At the bake sale, the parent wrote, fliers were “plastered about Israel committing genocide and occupation.”

In all cases, the complaint filed last month alleges, the district was informed and did nothing.

The complaint cites non-Masterman matters, including the district’s decision to continue to employ an assistant superintendent who resigned from her volunteer role as a Montgomery County school board member after she declared, in a social media post, that Israeli Defense Forces was a “terrorist organization” carrying out genocide against Palestinians.

As a remedy, the group seeks “a safe place for Jewish and Muslim students,” plus fixes including a public apology to the community, training for administrators, a letter from Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. “condemning Hamas and advising no place for hate in our schools,” counseling for students, and more.

Holtzman said his organization has broad concerns, not just about Masterman but about “teachers who are pushing for very inflammatory and extreme views on the war in Gaza.”

The Jewish families organization had previously raised objections about a Northeast High student assignment, a video of a podcast about Palestinian resistance art, that had been shown at one Black History Month assembly at the school. The video, which had initially been approved for public sharing, was banned by the district from being shared at subsequent assemblies, drawing protests over censorship from some and allegations of antisemitism by the recently formed School District of Philadelphia Jewish Family Association.

Holtzman said the association members realize “there are multiple narratives around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We realize that it’s painful. But what’s happening that’s really disturbing to us is that supporters of Israel are being labeled as genocidal. There’s been a lot of dehumanization of Jewish students, Jewish faculty.”

Events described by the group as antisemitic continue, said Holtzman, who described an Israeli student at Farrell Elementary in the Northeast who Holtzman said was pushed while their assailant shouted “Free Palestine!” The student was blamed for the incident and his mother ultimately unenrolled him from the school because he did not feel safe there.

And at Baldi Middle School this month, a geography teacher changed the name of Israel to Palestine on a handout map of the Middle East given to sixth graders. The school’s principal, Bianca Gillis, wrote to parents that “the map did not reflect the political boundaries of Israel and the Palestinian territories, leaving students feeling unsupported. The teacher’s efforts to support some of their students, did not support all students in the way they deserve.”

Gillis wrote that the “incident has deeply offended many of our students, staff and parents. I want to be crystal clear that this incident is unacceptable and we are currently looking into it, in accordance with our Code of Ethics and School Board Policies, respectively. We have also already addressed this with the individuals involved.”

Philly Educators for Palestine, another new, grassroots group, said it had not been aware of the federal complaint in a statement. A spokesperson for the group said it had not heard of any instances of antisemitism or other discrimination in district schools but hoped the district “advocates for restorative actions when these incidents occur. We do not, however, believe that critique of Israel or advocacy for Palestine are antisemitic.”

The group, whose statement was sent jointly with the Racial Justice Organizing Committee, also said it was “aware of many cases of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hate and discrimination, which students have been facing long before October 7th.”

The group said it believed the federal complaint “and other efforts to silence teachers and students are distractors from the carnage being inflicted upon Palestinians in Gaza by Israel.”

The pro-Palestinian teachers’ group said it stood “beside our fellow educators who offer space for their students to learn about, process, and engage in respectful, healthy dialogue around the history of Israel and Palestine and the current genocide in Gaza. We fully support educators’ rights of free speech, especially outside of the classroom. A society that silences criticism of genocide and criminalizes those who speak out against these atrocities sets a very dangerous precedent.”