High Country Times

Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Representative Michelle Steel (R-CA) have called for an investigation into alleged antisemitism within the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD). The request was made in a letter sent to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

The letter is part of ongoing efforts by the Committee to combat antisemitism and support Jewish students across all educational levels.

Foxx and Steel wrote: “[W]e request that the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) open an investigation into these incidents to determine whether violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (Title VI) have occurred. At multiple meetings spanning the spring of 2023, the SAUSD Ethnic Studies Steering Committee (Committee) took collective action that deliberately excluded members of the school district’s Jewish community from involvement in constructing an ethnic studies curriculum. This likely violated California state law.”

The letter further states: “Senior officials of the Committee also discussed using Jewish holidays to approve courses so Jewish community members would not be able to attend. Specifically, two senior SAUSD officials discussed this matter over text. One stated, ‘We may need to use Passover to get all new courses approved,’ to which the other replied, ‘[T]hat’s actually a good strategy.’ Additionally, while discussing a potential meeting with the Jewish Federation of Orange County, a leader of the Committee stated that ‘someone has to guide [Committee members] or they will cave in to the racist Zionists.’ This alarming display of prejudice has no place in our communities, especially from the very educators entrusted with leading our public schools.”

The letter concludes: “Ongoing litigation has already revealed an alarming pattern of antisemitism at the highest levels of the SAUSD. It is also clear that certain individuals made a concerted effort to hide their prejudiced motives. For this reason, we are requesting that OCR open a formal investigation into this matter to ensure all wrongdoing is brought to light and that those responsible for perpetrating this discrimination are held fully accountable under federal law.We hope that we can work together on this issue to ensure that the protections afforded under the Civil Rights Act are vigorously enforced so that all students feel welcome.”

To read the full letter, click here.