The California Department of Education strikes back against antisemitic discrimination in K-12 schools

How have the CDE’s rulings advanced our understanding of the laws on antisemitism in California schools? Part 2 of a three-part series

The California Department of Education (CDE) has issued a series of landmark rulings to counter the normalization of antisemitism in K-12 schools, establishing definitive legal guidance on what constitutes unlawful discrimination under the state's Education Code. These high-level administrative decisions highlight several key violations, including a teacher in the Tamalpais Union High School District who made "shockingly antisemitic" remarks about there being "too many Jews," biased "professional development" teach-ins in Oakland, and the failure of administrators in Mountain View Los Altos to properly vet or intervene during an antisemitic guest speaker's performance. By reversing inadequate district-level investigations and assigning consistent corrective actions, the CDE is clarifying that one-sided political advocacy by staff, biased curricula, and unbalanced displays on school property create a discriminatory environment that distresses students based on their Jewish identity.

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