Some Oakland teachers plan "teach-in" on war in Gaza despite district admonitions
Some teachers in the Oakland Unified School District say they believe a "teach-in" on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict planned for Wednesday will be beneficial to students who are likely hearing about the issue everywhere else in their lives.
Parents and district leaders have voiced their concerns and advised against the proposed curriculum based on materials already available before the planned lessons.
ALSO READ: Some Oakland Unified parents voice concerns ahead of pro-Palestinian "teach-in"
"The teach-in is a series of lessons and activities meant to support students with their knowledge on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and meant to allow them to form their own opinion off of facts so they can make arguments about the situation on their own," said Miguel Olivares, an eight grade math teacher in Oakland.
He had not heard about the teach-in before Tuesday and was unclear if he would participate in his classroom.
The lesson plans come from some members of the Oakland Educators Association. They want to focus on Palestinian resistance and liberation. The material is not affiliated with the school district and the superintendent said in a letter to parents this week that the teach-in was not authorized by OUSD. The lessons do not align with the guidance and materials previously provided by the chief academic officer, the superintendent added.
ALSO READ: Planned teach-in at Oakland schools would present Palestinian perspective to students
Parents have expressed concerns about this effort, some wondered if it is appropriate for children of their age and the impact it may have on the community.
"We want our daughter to be a critical thinker, we want her to know what's going on but we also don't think she needs to be ready for that right now, she's eight years old. She needs her math, her English, her socialization," said Dave Furfero. His daughter is part Israeli and he worries how she might be treated in school.
An online document obtained by CBS News Bay Area over the weekend revealed that lesson plans were available for all grades on the subject.
The superintendent reiterated this week that the district has an unwavering stance against antisemitic, anti-Israeli, Islamophobic, or anti-Palestinian prejudice or discrimination within the district.
Wednesday afternoon, the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a press release saying it also opposed the "pro-Palestinian teach-in by teachers in the district that is part of an ongoing effort to embed anti-Israel tropes into the minds of young children."
The release went on to cite the marked increase in antisemetic attacks since the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas on Israel, saying FBI officials confirm a "60% spike in hate crimes."
"The goal of these extremists is to inculcate and normalize into the minds of impressionable youngsters poisonous violent anti-Semitic and anti-Israel tropes that will serve to demonize the Jewish State of Israel and her Zionist defenders here in California and beyond," said SWC Associate Dean and Global Social Action Director Rabbi Abraham Cooper.
