The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has announced an agreement with the School District of Philadelphia to address compliance issues related to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This resolution follows reports of harassment based on shared ancestry within the district.
During the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, the district was repeatedly notified about incidents that could create a hostile environment for students. These included antisemitic actions such as Nazi salutes, swastikas, and slurs, as well as anti-Black racial slurs reported by a teacher. Despite this notice, the district failed to demonstrate adequate steps taken to evaluate or address these incidents, except in one case where an external law firm was involved.
A notable incident involved a teacher questioning Jewish students at a school assembly, asking if "it was really the quote unquote antisemitism that made you uncomfortable or was it the truth?" The district also lacked sufficient record-keeping practices required under Title VI obligations.
Concerns were raised about retaliation against parents who filed complaints with OCR. A teacher allegedly posted names of complaining parents on Instagram, with other teachers engaging with the post. The district did not provide evidence of assessing whether this action was retaliatory.
To resolve these concerns, the district has agreed to several measures including issuing an anti-harassment statement, revising policies and procedures related to discrimination, providing annual training for staff and students, reviewing past reports of harassment, conducting audits and climate assessments in schools, and consulting experts on harassment prevention.
Catherine E. Lhamon, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights stated: “The Philadelphia School District has committed to taking essential steps to redress any hostile environment in its schools so that Jewish students, like all students, can learn in an environment free from discriminatory harassment.”
Further details can be found in the letter of resolution and resolution agreement available on OCR's website.
