"The California Department of Education has found that Oakland Unified School District discriminated against Jewish students in several instances over the last few years. An investigative report released this month cited as problematic OUSD providing maps of the Middle East that did not include Israel, a school allowing a Palestinian flag to be flown from a school flagpole for a month, and teachers participating in a teach-in about the war in Gaza that did not include Jewish or Israeli perspectives."
"The state agency undertook an investigation in response to complaints filed by Marleen Sacks, an Oakland attorney who is also suing Oakland Unified on behalf of the Oakland Jewish Alliance, a group that was formed in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, to advocate for Jewish residents. In each case, the state found, Sacks filed a complaint against OUSD for discriminating against Jewish students, and the district responded well beyond the statutory deadline for investigating such complaints."
California education officials concluded that Oakland Unified School District created discriminatory environments for Jewish students through multiple incidents. Problematic actions included distributing Middle East maps that omitted Israel, allowing a Palestinian flag to be flown from a school flagpole for a month, and teachers conducting a Gaza-related teach-in that excluded Jewish and Israeli perspectives. The district failed to investigate complaints within statutory timeframes and did not issue determinations on discrimination, prompting state corrective actions including bias and complaint-procedure training. Complaints were filed by attorney Marleen Sacks on behalf of the Oakland Jewish Alliance; maps without Israel appeared in Arab American Heritage month guides in 2021, 2023, and 2024.
Read at The Oaklandside
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