Best Practices for Combating Antisemitism in K-12 Schools

Over the course of the past several years, and particularly in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks, there has been a disturbing rise in antisemitism in K-12 schools. According to ADL’s most recent Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, there were 1,162 antisemitic incidents in K-12 schools in 2023, most of which took place in public schools. This represents a stark, 135% increase from the 495 antisemitic incidents recorded by ADL in 2022.

In 2023, the White House released the U.S. National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. It outlines a whole-of-society approach to combating antisemitism. We all have a role to play in confronting and countering antisemitism early and aggressively, whenever and wherever it emerges.

As a leading provider of antisemitism and anti-bias education for students and educators in K-12 schools, ADL is ready to support school districts and education professionals across the country in this critical work.

Outlined below are ADL’s recommendations of best practices to guide education professionals, State Education Departments and school administrators in their work to counter antisemitism in their K-12 schools.

1. Clearly define antisemitism and ensure consistent application.

Antisemitism is a complex and nuanced form of oppression that is often not well understood. This is in large part because antisemitism is more than just a form of religious hatred. It can take the form of:

• Racialized bigotry, such as swastikas, Nazi salutes, or Holocaust jokes based on white supremacist ideology.
• Bigotry grounded in conspiracy theories, such as conspiracies featuring myths about Jewish power and control.
• Anti-Zionist[1] harassment or discrimination, such as excluding Jewish students from school activities based on their actual or perceived historic, cultural, religious, and/or ethnic identification with Israel.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition has become the preeminent definitional tool used to evaluate manifestations of antisemitism today, and it includes useful examples of discriminatory anti-Israel acts that cross the line into antisemitism. It is also the definition that the U.S. Department of Education is required to consider when investigating Title VI complaints of antisemitic harassment and discrimination in K-12 schools.

We urge school districts across the country to use the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism when responding to reports of antisemitic harassment or discrimination in K-12 schools and to assess the comprehensiveness of education programming that addresses antisemitism.

2. Educate students, teachers and community members about antisemitism, and ensure robust holocaust education in school.

Antisemitism is sometimes overlooked in programming focused on countering bias and fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in K-12 schools. At the same time, many school districts either do not include in their curriculum content focused on Jewish history, identity, and culture, or have proposed or considered content that veers into antisemitism and/or extreme anti-Israel bias. This is particularly concerning at a time of rising antisemitic incidents across the country. School districts must ensure that topics like Jewish identity, Jewish history and manifestations of antisemitism are properly incorporated in K-12 curricula.

Schools should take similar steps to ensure that Holocaust and genocide education are covered in the classroom. Holocaust and genocide education is an effective, proven lever to combat antisemitism in society; and yet, unfortunately, the Holocaust is still not universally addressed in K-12 curricula. It is therefore not surprising that recent surveys have found an alarming lack of knowledge about the Holocaust among younger generations. This is deeply concerning, as the latest research from ADL’s Center for Antisemitism Research (CAR) suggests a direct relationship between deficiencies in Holocaust education and an increase in prejudicial, antisemitic beliefs.

Fortunately, there is broad public support for expanding Holocaust education: A 2023 ADL survey revealed that more than 90 percent of Americans believe high school students should learn about the Holocaust, with 87 percent agreeing that high school students should learn about antisemitism throughout history and in the present. At the same time, a recent ADL poll looking at antisemitic attitudes in America found that respondents whose schools taught specifically about the Holocaust harbored the least antisemitic prejudice, compared to those who learned about the Holocaust elsewhere.

We urge school districts to:

• Formally include antisemitism awareness education in all anti-bias and non-discrimination programming.
• Incorporate into the curriculum content focused on Jewish history and identity.
• Adopt Holocaust and genocide curricula offerings.
• Provide mandatory antisemitism awareness and Holocaust education professional development trainings for all educators.

We also urge school districts across the country to adopt and/or expand their Holocaust and genocide curricular offerings, to ensure current and future generations understand the importance of confronting antisemitism and hate and the dangers of remaining silent. Additionally, we urge school districts to incorporate Holocaust education into their professional development for teachers and administrators.

3. Clearly communicate and enforce all policies and protocols, including codes of conduct and anti-bullying, anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies, and ensure robust reporting mechanisms are in place.

It is critical that all school districts have clear and transparent non-discrimination, anti-harassment and anti-bullying policies (including policies pertaining to cyberbullying); clear and transparent mechanisms for students, parents, teachers and support staff to report hate incidents and acts of antisemitism to school administrators; and clear and transparent communication protocols so that students and families are consistently informed about the steps taken in response to reported incidents.

Schools must also be mindful of cases where student speech infringes or interferes with the rights of other students, or causes a material and substantial disruption in school. In such cases, in order to protect the rights of all students, schools may need to take action to intervene.

We urge school districts to ensure that robust and comprehensive policies and protocols are in place and fully enforced, consistent with state and federal law, to effectively respond to antisemitic discrimination, harassment and bullying in K-12 schools, and to take steps to ensure full transparency regarding these policies.

4. Ensure that schools do not teach problematic content that amplifies antisemitism and delegitimizes/demonizes the State of Israel and its existence.

Schools must ensure that lesson plans are free from antisemitic bias toward Jews or the State of Israel, and that they do not unintentionally amplify or perpetuate antisemitic beliefs or attitudes in school community. It is critical that lessons on Middle East history, Israel, Palestine, Judaism and the Holocaust are taught in a fact-based and pedagogically sound way. ADL has a number of resources that can be used to support schools, including a guide on recognizing bias when Israel is in the headlines.

Antisemitic or biased language must be addressed immediately to prevent acceptance or escalation. No lesson or classroom conversation on Middle East history or a related topic should contain any of the following:

• Content suggesting that any population of residents in the region should be eliminated or displaced from where they live.
• Use of nationalities or other group identifiers (such as Zionists, Israelis, Palestinians, etc.) as slurs or pejoratives.
• Use of dehumanizing names or comparisons (like “vermin,” “savages”).
• Generalizations about all people in an identity group.

We urge school districts to prevent all lessons on Israel, Judaism, Jewish people, or the Holocaust from containing negative bias that amplifies antisemitism or delegitimizes or demonizes the State of Israel.

5. Speak out and take action when antisemitism takes place.

Schools must issue clear and unwavering statements condemning antisemitism in the wake of antisemitic incidents, and treat antisemitism with the same seriousness as other forms of hate. When a school district experiences an antisemitic incident, one of the most important steps that district and school leadership can take is to call it out swiftly, clearly and directly. And when Jewish students are subjected to a hostile environment based on harassment, discrimination, or exclusion, school district leadership should be prepared to make clear that such actions will be investigated and addressed. Antisemitic behavior, regardless of the source and regardless of whether or not it constitutes protected speech, causes real harm – not simply hurt feelings – to both the targeted student(s) and the community as a whole.

It is important to remember that in many cases, schools will need to also take action to remedy the hostile environment in the wake of an incident. In addition to speaking out, remedial steps could include:

• Offering counseling to the offending students regarding the harmful effect of their conduct.
• Hosting a school assembly to discuss antisemitism and its harmful impact.

In addition, school districts can:

• Train teachers and other administrators, including the district’s leadership team, regarding how to recognize and address antisemitic incidents and respond in the moment.
• Create an age-appropriate program to educate students about the history and dangers of antisemitism.
• Conduct outreach to involve parents and community groups (like ADL) to prevent future antisemitic harassment.
• Depending on the underlying facts, some of these steps may be required as a matter of law.

We urge school and district leadership to speak out strongly and unequivocally in the wake of antisemitic incidents, and to take appropriate remedial actions in response.

6. Ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for Jewish students.

In order to create welcoming and inclusive learning environments, school districts should take reasonable steps to accommodate students’ religious observances and beliefs. This includes:

• Accommodating students who may miss school for a religious observance by providing students with an excused absence and a reasonable amount of time to make up any missed work.
• Encourage teachers, athletic directors, and other programmatic heads to avoid scheduling major events (tests, tryouts, etc.) on religious holidays like the Jewish Sabbath and the Jewish High Holidays (including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur).
• Ensure that student dress code policies provide appropriate accommodations for religious garb.
• Provide reasonable accommodations to support students with dietary needs due to religious beliefs or observances.

We urge state education departments and school districts to review and/or update their religious accommodation policies or guidelines to help foster equitable and inclusive learning environments for all students.