Senate Republicans urge civil rights inquiries into K-12 schools for antisemitism

EXCLUSIVE — A group of Republican senators led by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) are urging the Department of Education to ramp up investigations into antisemitism at K-12 schools.

In a Thursday letter shared with the , Ernst and her colleagues demanded Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona explain to lawmakers what his agency is doing to address the rise of antisemitism in K-12 schools. Incidents of antisemitism have risen since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel by Hamas that claimed more than 1,200 lives and prompted Israel to invade Gaza.

The letter was signed by more than two dozen Republican senators, including Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Ron Johnson (R-WI).

"As children continue to grapple with the aftermath of this violence, incidents of anti-Semitic violence are picking up in our K-12 schools," the senators wrote. "Anti-Semitism in high schools is uniquely concerning as teenagers are particularly impressionable, deeply affected by the social dynamics of their peers and by the authority of their teachers. Young students are still developing emotionally and are less equipped to handle and process incidents of anti-Semitism, making recent reports all the more concerning."

The letter cites several incidents of reported antisemitism in K-12 schools, including an Oct. 18 episode at a San Francisco high school in which students chanted antisemitic slogans. Republicans also cited a report of an 11 year-old student in a southern California school district who told four Jewish girls that "all Israelis and Jews should be killed."

"No student should be afraid to go to school," Cassidy told the . "The Biden Department of Education needs to fulfill their legal responsibility to ensure federally funded schools are providing a safe learning environment free of antisemitism."

The letter comes after the U.S. Department of Education opened civil rights investigations into several colleges and universities over incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia. The initial wave of investigations included inquiries into Cornell, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania. This week, the department opened investigations into Harvard and the New York City Department of Education.

"America’s K-12 schools must be a safe learning environment for all students," the senators wrote. "School officials are supposed to be the adults in the school building. They should be setting an example for our students and ensuring a safe learning environment rather than undermining it."

In a statement to the , Ernst said that she was "was outraged to learn that even Jewish and Israeli students in elementary school are facing hatred."

“America’s next generation should be focusing on reading, writing, and math, not protecting themselves from abuse or being exposed to harmful indoctrination," she said. "I’m glad that, following my advocacy, the Department of Education is finally investigating Harvard and other universities that have failed to safeguard students. Now they need to do the same at our K-12 schools. I’ll continue to hold the Biden administration accountable to enforce Title VI to the fullest extent of the law.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Education noted that the department has already opened investigations into some school districts over antisemitism.