In a Philadelphia high school, students were given an assignment that asked them to label Israel and the United States as terrorists.
In Berkeley, California, students in an ethnic studies class were provided a map that renamed Israel as “Palestine” while the lesson also praised historical figures who made anti-Semitic remarks.
The National Education Association teachers union, meanwhile, cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League while supporting organizations that provide anti-Semitic learning materials to K–12 districts.
Those events, and many others, are examples of what some Congress members call “political indoctrination” in an Oct. 21 report released by House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.).
He has vowed to continue investigations into K–12 anti-Semitism and said legislation is needed to hold school leaders accountable for these discriminatory practices.
“Parents send their children to school to learn reading, writing, and math—not to be taught to hate Israel or embrace radical political causes. Yet that’s exactly the kind of material our investigation uncovered,” he said in an Oct. 21 news release, also citing reports from the Anti-Defamation League that noted antisemitic incidents in K–12 schools increased by 135 percent in 2023 alone.
“Jewish students deserve to feel safe in their classrooms, and parents deserve to know what their children are being taught. Schools that receive taxpayer dollars must be held accountable when they fail to protect students from antisemitism,” Walberg said.
Beyond anti-Semitic instruction, the report cited examples of discriminatory practices in both districts.
In Philadelphia, the staff-led Racial Justice Organizing Committee led instruction where males, white people, and Christians were labeled as “dominant,” while black people, members of the LGBT community, immigrants, and non-Christians were labeled as oppressed. The committee also cited controversial videos, such as “The White Supremacy of Being Asked Where I’m From” and one on “zi/zir/zim and xi/xir/xim” pronouns. Students were then tasked with reflecting on oppression, privilege, and “intersectionality,” according to the report.
Second-graders in the district learned about environmental justice, climate activism, and “the impact of bias, injustice, and privilege on a global scale,” the report said.
In Berkeley, students in a fifth-grade ethnic studies unit were told references to the nation’s Founding Fathers are harmful because they don’t acknowledge indigenous people who lived here before colonization, and because those men “upheld systems of racial and gender inequality,” the report said.
A seventh-grade unit required students to engage in a “resistance” project promoting decolonization and cultural preservation. A ninth-grade racial solidarity unit told students that “Asian people have been weaponized as pawns to serve a white supremacist agenda,” the report said.
The report criticized the National Education Association for hosting a 2025 Conference on Racial and Social Justice, where speakers said anti-Semitism is weaponized by white nationalist movements. There were also presentations on “Christian Nationalist Threats to Public Education,” and “Counternarratives to Dismantle Fears Against Muslim Students and Educators.”
“Public schools should educate students, not enlist them in political causes. Parents should be able to trust that schools will educate their children without subjecting them to radical ideology,” the report concluded.
The School District of Philadelphia provided a statement to The Epoch Times that said administrators have extensively cooperated with the House committee’s previous inquiry and have taken steps to combat anti-Semitism and other forms of hate. It also objected to the report’s “blatantly partisan framing of the district days before election day.”
“The report distorts and mischaracterizes our record. In fact, the district has taken serious steps to combat all forms of hate in our schools, including a new record management system, revised policies, mandatory annual training for staff, and appropriate disciplinary actions,” said Monique Braxton, district spokesperson.
“We remain committed to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for our students and staff.”
The Epoch Times also reached out to the Berkeley district and the National Education Association for a statement or response regarding the report.
In a prior statement provided to The Epoch Times, the National Education Association said it does not tolerate anti-Semitism and remains committed to ensuring that all of its members and students can work and learn in a safe and welcoming environment.
“We always ensure our meeting rules and programs serve and support all members, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, background, sexual orientation, or gender identity,” the statement said.
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