Civil rights groups allege anti-Palestinian racism at Berkeley public schools in federal complaint
Weeks after human rights groups alleged antisemitic harassment of Jewish students in Berkeley public schools in the wake of the war in Gaza, two other rights groups have alleged pervasive anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim racism against the school district.
In a press statement Wednesday, the Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA) and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) announced a joint civil rights complaint against the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD).
The federal complaint submitted to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) urged an immediate investigation into what it claimed were months of discrimination, harassment, and intimidation experienced by Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students within the district since the Hamas attack against Israel in October 2023 and subsequent war in the Gaza Strip.
According to the complaint, the reported incidents include slurs and hate speech directed at Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students, as well as unequal use of BUSD resources to address the concerns of those students. The complaint also alleges harassment of teachers who speak about Palestinian freedom.
"Most of these incidents have been reported to BUSD leaders, or BUSD leaders are already aware they occurred," the complaint stated. "BUSD leaders have either acted with indifference, taken no meaningful action, or were themselves the perpetrators of the incidents listed."
"The pervasive anti-Palestinian racism within Berkeley schools is deeply concerning and demands urgent action," said CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo in a prepared statement. "Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students should not have to endure discrimination or fear for their safety while pursuing their education. It is imperative that BUSD upholds its legal obligation to safeguard the learning environment for all students, irrespective of their background."
The complaint calls on the district to partner with Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities to create a curriculum that includes Arab American studies and Palestinian perspectives on historical and current events. It also asks for the district to train staff on anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism and to distinguish between speech critical of Israel's treatment of Palestinians and speech that is hateful towards Jews.
BUSD had not yet responded on Thursday to a request by CBS News San Francisco for a statement about the complaint.
On Tuesday, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and the Anti-Defamation League announced the OCR had initiated an investigation into the BUSD following their complaint alleging "severe and persistent" bullying and harassment of Jewish students since Hamas attack against Israel.
The complaint was originally filed on February 28 and expanded on Monday, with allegations that anti-Jewish bigotry and harassment have escalated over the past three months.
On Wednesday, BUSD Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel was among three public school district leaders who testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce during a hearing on K-12 antisemitism.
In a statement before Ford Morthel's appearance, BUSD issued a statement to CBS News saying, "We strive every day to ensure that our classrooms are respectful, humanizing, and joyful places for all our students, where they are welcomed, seen, valued, and heard. We will continue to center our students and take care of each other during this time."
