SAN DIEGO (SDJW) — Trustee Michael Allman of the San Dieguito Union High School District has successfully sponsored a pair of resolutions aimed to counter antisemitism and discrimination, the Del Mar Times has reported.
Allman’s resolution responded to a letter from 250 Jewish students saying, “We deserve to feel safe on campus. … We’ve had enough of the swastikas we’ve seen tagged everywhere, enough of the hateful memes and enough of the ugly side comments and texts. We should not be afraid to wear a Jewish star necklace or post about being Jewish on social [media] for fear of being bullied. … After being blindsided by standardized testing during Rosh Hashanah in September, we were reminded how little representation we have.”
District officials said the Rosh Hashanah testing was an oversight and steps were being taken to prevent a reoccurence.
During testimony in a special two-hour meeting on Nov. 18, two parents said they had removed their children from district schools because of antisemitism.
Miri Ketayi said her son and others had to endure anti-Israel and anti-Zionist commentary in their classroom during the recent Israel-Gaza war, but were silenced when they spoke up in defense of Israel. Another parent, Rakafet Benderly, said her daughter is often subjected to verbal attacks and Holocaust “jokes” in her classroom. “I can’t believe this is happening again in our Jewish history and it needs to stop,” Benderly said.
Del Mar Times staff writer Karen Billing’s story said that there have been reports of “students being beaten up for being Jewish at Carmel Valley Middle School” and of San Dieguito Academy being “vandalized with antisemitic imagery.” District officials said security footage indicates that the people who vandalized the Academy were not district students.
The resolution condemning antisemitism was adopted on a 4-0 vote with Board President Mo Muir, Vice President Melisse Mossy, and member Julie Bronstein joining Allman. A fifth trustee, Katrina Young, abstained, saying she need more information and was uncertain that the resolution satisfied the students’ concerns. She continued to abstain even after the resolution was amended at the suggestion of District Superintendent Cheryl James Ward to say that “anti-Zionism and anti-Israel bias can descend into antisemitism when they promote demonization and discriminatory double standards.”
A second resolution which gained unanimous support said all students deserved protection against harassment, intimidation and bullying. The resolution instructed the superintendent to bring back a recommendation for the creation of an ombudsman position that could be filled either by a new hire or an existing staff member or teacher. The ombudsman would serve as an “anti-discrimination diversity equity and inclusion officer” who potentially could investigate allegations of discrimination taking such forms as sexism, racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism.
*
SDJW staff rreport