Maryland’s Montgomery County school board chief pressed about incidents of antisemitism

WASHINGTON — The president of the Montgomery County Board of Education in Maryland took heat from lawmakers Wednesday over antisemitic incidents alleged within county schools, and as the U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into the district earlier this year.

Karla Silvestre testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education during a hearing focused on antisemitism in K-12 schools.

U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, subcommittee chair and a Republican from Florida, said the aftermath of the attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7 “has revealed some of the ugliest, most depraved ideas once marginalized from polite society, and our education system has failed to stop it.”

The hearing also featured questioning from subcommittee ranking member Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, a Democrat, as well as U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the broader House committee.

Montgomery County Public Schools, just north of the District of Columbia, is the largest school district in Maryland, with over 200 schools. It also falls within the top 20 largest school districts in the United States.

The suburban Maryland district is at the center of a federal Title VI investigation launched in February, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The publication said the investigation was based on an opinion piece posted on a hyperlocal news site. The Department of Education does not normally comment on ongoing investigations.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal funding.

Last month, the Zionist Organization of America filed a civil rights complaint against the district over allegations of “severe, persistent and pervasive antisemitism in the schools that district officials have failed to address.” The complaint alleges intimidation and harassment.

Silvestre, who was elected to a second four-year term in November 2022, defended the district and said it does not “shy away from imposing consequences for hate-based behavior, including antisemitism.”

She said the district’s policy is to “initiate an investigation each time the school system receives a complaint or we witness particular antisemitic, hate-filled or racist language or actions.”

When questioned by Bean about whether teachers have been fired, she said county school officials have not fired anybody but have “taken disciplinary action” against some teachers.

“As a part of our process, the teachers that have been disciplined know that if this happens ever again, there will be deeper consequences, up to and including termination,” she said.

Silvestre also pointed to several efforts the school system is taking to combat antisemitism in its schools, such as imposing mandatory hate-based training for all staff starting this summer and enhancing the curriculum in K-12 schools to expand on topics surrounding the Jewish experience.

Questioned by Foxx over how long each investigation surrounding antisemitism takes on average, Silvestre did not have an exact number of weeks to provide, though she said she believes the district does a “very thorough job, so we take as long as it’s needed to investigate.”

New York, California districts

The hearing also featured testimony from two other school district leaders, including David Banks, chancellor for New York City Public Schools, and Enikia Ford Morthel, superintendent of Berkeley Unified School District in California.

Bean said all three leaders “represent public school districts that have allowed vile antisemitism to spread unchecked.” The school officials all rejected allegations that they tolerate antisemitism within their districts.

New York City comprises the largest school system in the nation. The city’s education department faces a lawsuit from a Brooklyn teacher and campus administrator over allegations of “failing to address persistent antisemitism against teachers.”

In California, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights on Tuesday said it opened a formal investigation into a complaint by the Anti-Defamation League and the Brandeis Center that the Berkeley district has “failed to address non-stop ‘severe and persistent’ bullying and harassment of Jewish students” since Oct. 7.

Wednesday’s hearing also comes amid the persistence of pro-Palestinian encampments at college campuses across the country as protesters demand that their respective institutions divest funding from Israel.

On Tuesday, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona was questioned about antisemitism on college campuses during a hearing before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

“Make no mistake, antisemitism is discrimination and is prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Cardona said.

“Every student deserves to learn in an environment where they can feel free to be themselves without discrimination or fear for their safety,” he added.

Cardona said due to the significant increase in the number of Title VI investigations since the Oct. 7 attack, the department is asking for a $22 million increase in its budget for its Office for Civil Rights.

Foxx called on Cardona to resign during Tuesday’s hearing, repeating an earlier demand.

“With the outbreak of campus riots, I am only more resolute, so I will say it again: You must resign,” the Republican from North Carolina said.