Confronting Antisemitism In Our Schools: An Action Plan for Public K-12 School Administrators

Ensure school compliance with applicable law. Public schools are required to comply with all applicable laws and educational standards. At the federal level, these obligations include compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has explained that Title VI also protects students and staff from antisemitic discrimination and harassment when based on a person’s actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics; or citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity. Many state and local laws also protect against discrimination on these bases, as well as on the basis of religion.

Review and reinforce reporting mechanisms. In order to ensure that schools are aware of, and can respond to, incidents of discrimination, each district should have accessible and confidential pathways for students and staff to report antisemitic incidents. Review school policies and procedures to confirm they clearly explain how members of the school community can report discrimination or harassment, when staff are obligated to make such reports, and what prompt and effective steps the school will take to stop any discrimination or harassment, remedy its effects, and prevent recurrence.

• Designate a trained staff member to coordinate the district’s Title VI compliance and serve as a point of contact. Make certain that reporting mechanisms, policies, procedures, and the Title VI coordinator are well-publicized to the school community. Policies should clearly forbid retaliation based on someone reporting a civil rights concern or participating in a district’s investigation.
• Inform families that they may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) if the district has not sufficiently responded to the family’s civil rights concern. Information on how to report to OCR, as well as other places that may be appropriate depending on the circumstances, can be found in this AJC guide to Reporting Antisemitism to Federal Agencies, Law Enforcement, and Social Media and AI Companies.

Establish and publicize protocols for responding to antisemitic incidents promptly and effectively. At the start of every school year, schools should clearly outline and communicate protocols for responding to incidents of discrimination, including antisemitism, as well as reporting structures and the school's response measures once an incident is reported.

Discrimination incident protocols should include:

• What constitutes an incident of discrimination. Consider referencing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, which provides a clear and widely accepted framework for identifying antisemitism and its many manifestations, including contemporary examples of antizionist forms of antisemitism. The IHRA definition makes clear that criticism of Israeli policy is not antisemitic; at the same time, antisemitic themes can surface in discourse about Israel and it is critical to understand when that happens. While not a legal requirement, this definition can serve as an educational tool to guide policy decisions and support compliance with civil rights under Title VI.
• How discrimination should be reported, including mechanisms and chain of command in the reporting process, as described above. Jews often hesitate to report antisemitic incidents, as they fear nothing will be done in response to their report, and/or they may believe that their experiences are not “bad enough” or will be taken less seriously, compared to discrimination faced by other groups. This hesitation can be even stronger in school settings where children may fear retribution from faculty or bullying from fellow students.
• How discrimination will be addressed. When discrimination or harassment occurs, schools must respond in ways that restore educational access, correct discriminatory effects, and prevent recurrence. For a complete guidance and checklist on how to respond, communicate, and support students once an incident has occurred, please see AJC’s Guide to Responding to Discrimination for K-12 Administrators.

Review, update, and publicize policies and codes of conduct. Codes of conduct are more than rules regarding the bounds of acceptable behavior; they are opportunities for schools to articulate school values and build communities of empathy and belonging. Clear and transparent codes of conduct help avoid time consuming and divisive problems before they arise. Guidelines should clearly prohibit discrimination and harassment in all district programs and activities, both in-person and online, including specific examples to help the school community better understand expected behavior. While respecting constitutional rights, rules must emphasize the district's obligation to respond to conduct that treats students differently based on race, color, or national origin (including shared ancestry), or creates a hostile environment on these grounds.

Specific conduct topics to review:

• Social media use by faculty/staff and students. Social media use may implicate school policies on discrimination and harassment when posting or messaging is done during a district’s program or activity; while using a district’s computers, software, or email system; or when the effects of one person’s social media use interfere with another’s right to education. Even when social media use occurs outside of school, its use and misuse deeply affects school culture. Codes of conduct should clearly outline what the school considers improper use of social media and school resources for faculty/staff and students.
• Protests and walkouts. Establish and enforce rules regarding protests and walkouts. While the First Amendment protects a student’s right to protest, some forms of protest, such as sit-ins, walkouts, or classroom disturbances, can also disrupt learning, invade the rights of others, and exacerbate tensions within the school community. The First Amendment permits reasonable restrictions on the time, place, and manner of student speech in order to avoid disruptions and protect the rights of speakers and those who want to listen. Such restrictions are acceptable if they are content-neutral and allow alternative avenues for communication. Clearly communicated guidelines respect constitutional rights and maintain positive learning environments for all students.
• It is important to note that cultural symbols, slogans, and imagery used within discourse about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be expressed or used in ways that target, harm, and endanger Jewish students, depending on the context. AJC educators are available to talk through these issues with you.

Ensure physical security. Verify that your school’s security policies and procedures plan for and deter antisemitic incidents, which often spike around elections, Jewish holidays, and when the conflict in the Middle East intensifies. The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and its aftermath have led to a steep increase in threats and acts of violence toward Jews in the United States and around the world, including in educational settings. In addition to local law enforcement, we encourage you to reach out to local Jewish community security organizations to obtain current security briefings and best practices.

Check the calendar. Consider Jewish holidays when planning ahead for major school programs, tests, sporting events, field trips, or parent engagement programs to prevent scheduling conflicts and ensure that Jewish students and staff can fully participate in school life without having to choose between their religious observance and school commitments. AJC has created this short Guide to Jewish Religion, Culture, and Holiday Observances, which includes a 5-year calendar to help administrators and educators avoid scheduling conflicts and become better acquainted with key Jewish cultural practices. Schools should clarify the process for obtaining accommodations due to religious scheduling needs, and confirm that students are never penalized due to their religious practice.

Provide nondiscrimination training and education about Jewish identity. Confronting antisemitism effectively requires staff to be trained in nondiscrimination requirements under Title VI and codes of conduct, as well as educated about Jewish identity and antisemitism more broadly. Antisemitism has similarities to other forms of hate, but it also has unique features that may be overlooked when people lack understanding of Jewish background and experiences. An understanding of both Jews and antisemitism — what it is, how to identify it, and how to combat it — is vital for education professionals to be able to effectively address these issues wherever they surface: in the classroom, the hallways, between students, or online. Our experts, all of whom have extensive classroom teaching and school administrative experience, can provide this programming for your school or district.

Access federal and state resources. Explore federal and state Title VI and school climate improvement materials, resources, and grants focused on anti-bias and student safety.

Clarify curricular standards. Adopt a clear and enforceable policy outlining curricular requirements, particularly around topics that are unsettled or reflect historical complexity. Such a policy should:

• Make clear that course content must align with state and local standards, be age-appropriate and relevant to the course, and include multiple perspectives designed to support students in forming their own reasoned conclusions.
• Make clear that curriculum should not be driven by personal or political opinion.
• Identify a process by which any outside curricular materials or professional development will be vetted by the administration before use to confirm that they are aligned with school policy and do not discriminate against, marginalize, or coerce any person or group.

Adopting mechanisms to maintain transparency into new curriculum, creating opportunities for community feedback, and providing families ways to raise concerns as appropriate can also help schools comply with policy, build community trust, and ensure inclusive and high-quality curricula.

Conduct a curriculum audit. Review the district’s and your school’s curriculum, from kindergarten through 12th grade, to identify where education about Jews, Jewish history, culture, and antisemitism currently exists and where there’s room to grow. Windows into Jewish lived experiences and the contributions Jews have made to our world humanize Jews and help foster mutual respect.

Incorporate Jewish history, literature, and culture throughout the curriculum, giving students a deeper understanding of the Jewish people’s experiences and challenges over time, including attention to Jewish contributions to society, culture, and science. Our Guidance for K-12 Schools to Ensure the Jewish Experience is Included Across the Curriculum includes key questions and enduring understandings, as well as recommendations for curricular providers and faculty professional development.

Prepare educators to teach with confidence. Educators consistently report that they do not feel fully prepared to teach about Jews, antisemitism, Israel, and related subjects in the classroom. In addition to addressing gaps across the broader curriculum, we strongly encourage schools to prioritize educator preparation in the three areas below. In each, faculty need both content fluency and pedagogy to teach accurately, presenting multiple perspectives, without imposing their own. We can direct educators to professional development workshops grounded in viewpoint diversity, historical literacy, fact-based inquiry, and the use of primary sources. Reach out to us for professional development recommendations and connections to trusted curricular providers.

Revisit Holocaust education to ensure best practices. Holocaust education should impart key understandings: that a millennium-old Jewish civilization in Europe with unique cultural practices and a robust history was destroyed; that Jews resisted Nazi oppression through physical, cultural, and spiritual resistance; that Nazi hatred was based on conspiratorial thinking that scapegoated Jews for society’s problems and justified their dehumanization and demonization, as well as that of other marginalized populations; and that this conspiratorial thinking, activated through propaganda, translated into policies that dismantled democratic institutions in the years leading up to the Holocaust.

• Holocaust education should also include learning about the long history of antisemitism, as well as its post-war manifestations and contemporary expressions. By studying this history, including Christian anti-Judaism, Nazi racial antisemitism, Soviet antizionism, and the expulsion of Jews from Middle Eastern and North African countries, students learn that the Holocaust was neither the first nor the last chapter in that story, and that antisemitism persists today.
• Ensure compliance with any state-mandated Holocaust education requirements. While over half (26) of the states in the U.S. mandate some form of Holocaust education, requirements vary. Schools should adhere to state-mandated Holocaust education requirements, where applicable, and align with any other state or local educational standards.

Add a unit on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one that presents multiple narratives and perspectives on the history and present-day situation with rigor and nuance. Done well, this unit will not only teach about a topic that is a significant part of our national conversation; it will also help students learn how to examine complex issues with integrity, interpret source material responsibly, and become informed, empathetic community members as they move into adulthood and civic life. Our team of experts is happy to work with you to discuss best practices and frameworks, design lessons and activities, and recommend primary source-based resources.

Incorporate a digital literacy curriculum. Students should learn about the appropriate and responsible use of social media and artificial intelligence, including how algorithms can amplify hateful or inflammatory content, how to assess what is true or false, and how to report online material that promotes hate or incites violence. Because social media use and misuse deeply affects school culture, this curriculum should connect responsible digital citizenship to the school’s broader policies and expectations for conduct, belonging, and respectful dialogue.

Incorporate Jewish belonging into your school’s culture. As schools create cultures of belonging, it is crucial that Jews are equally included with other minority groups and that Jewish identity and antisemitism are taught responsibly. Ensure that your school’s student-focused inclusion programming includes the richness of Jewish life, culture, and experiences. Humanizing the Jewish people is a powerful and effective way to proactively foster a welcoming community that is fully accepting of students’ Jewish identities and resistant to bias and antisemitism.

Additionally, when learning about various forms of hate directed at different groups, be sure to include anti-Jewish hatred. When antisemitism is not addressed as a contemporary form of hate in today’s world, or when Jewish identity is flattened by equating Jewishness with whiteness and privilege, Jews can easily become scapegoats for various social ills. Inclusion programming should address antisemitism’s distinctive features, such as its connection to conspiracy myths and its tendency to escalate at moments of fear or transition in society, such as political instability, pandemics, elections, economic downturns, and global conflict involving Israel. AJC has created guidance to help schools evaluate programs about antisemitism.

Organize educational programs for students and families about Jewish identity and antisemitism. Given that Jews make up just 2.4% of the U.S. population, many Americans only have a passing familiarity with Jewish history, culture, and identity, and antisemitism itself is often also not fully understood. In addition to helping the broader school community build knowledge, empathy, and a shared commitment to confronting anti-Jewish hate, education about both the Jewish people and antisemitism reassures Jewish families that the school sees and prioritizes their safety and well-being. AJC experts, who together have decades of experience in educational settings, can help you customize age-appropriate educational programs for lower, middle, and upper divisions that suit your school’s unique culture. As noted above, we also provide guidance for schools so they have the information they need to mount such programs sensitively and effectively.

Prioritize support and mental health concerns. Schools should proactively ensure that Jewish students and staff feel safe, heard, and valued within the school community. Schools should be aware that in addition to Jewish students, educators and staff who are Jewish may also experience heightened emotional stress or even become direct targets of antisemitism, particularly during periods of global conflict involving Israel.

Support student and parent Jewish affinity groups. Convene Jewish students, parents, and their affinity groups to provide a platform for open dialogue and mutual support. Reach out to Jewish affinity groups to check in on their well-being. Attend and encourage other administrators to participate in programming organized by Jewish affinity groups. Meet with Jewish student leaders regularly. If a Jewish Student Association (JSA) does not currently exist at your school, support Jewish students in their efforts to launch and sustain one. Consider suggesting and creating opportunities for Jewish groups to collaborate with other groups to foster empathy and dialogue. These gestures signal to the entire school community that Jews are welcome and seen, and that your school is working to better understand the needs and concerns of the Jewish community.

Host an interfaith or intergroup program. Create forums for students to engage in ways that cultivate empathy and build bridges that support living together in the community. These discussions can expand students’ understanding of Jewish identity beyond the religious to include its cultural, ethnic, and national dimensions. Modeling dialogue across differences is key to helping prepare students to engage in difficult conversations. By observing or participating in civil discourse among individuals with differing views or backgrounds, students gain the listening and communication skills necessary to approach and navigate sensitive topics with nuance and respect. AJC is happy to consult with your school to ensure such conversations are planned thoughtfully and facilitated skillfully.

Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM). Create schoolwide and divisional programs that acknowledge and celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) each year in May, promoting awareness and appreciation of Jewish contributions to American society.

Communicate with your community. Communicating clearly after an incident builds trust and helps the community heal. See policies above and our Guide to Responding to Incidents of Discrimination for guidance on communicating with your school community.

Check the calendar. Thoughtful scheduling is itself an act of inclusion; see the “Policies” section above for guidance on avoiding conflicts with Jewish holidays.

Contact Us
AJC's Center for Education Advocacy partners with school leaders, families, and policymakers to help schools build lasting capacity to recognize and respond to antisemitism, include Jews and Jewish life, and embrace democratic values. Grounded in critical thinking, viewpoint diversity, and fact-based inquiry, and backed by decades of experience in K-12 education, our approach reflects the same educational values schools strive to uphold. We are here to support you. Reach out anytime to talk through what your school is facing: [email protected].