AJC Welcomes Education Department Agreement with Carmel Unified School District On Its Failure to Adequately Address Antisemitic Acts

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today welcomed an agreement between the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Carmel Unified School District (CUSD) which outlines steps the district will take to address antisemitism in its schools. OCR found there were 15 antisemitic incidents dating back to the 2021-22 school year that the district inadequately addressed.

OCR’s finding that CUSD violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act sends an unequivocal message that the district has fallen short in its obligations to Jewish students and their families. CUSD conceded that through its failure to adequately address repeated acts of antisemitic vandalism, it created a hostile environment for its Jewish students.

We thank OCR for outlining a comprehensive plan for CUSD to follow to not only ensure that all antisemitic acts are thoroughly investigated, but to also demonstrate to Jewish students and their families that their concerns will be taken seriously and addressed accordingly. We hope CUSD views the conclusion of this investigation as a teachable moment that will lead to its schools becoming more inclusive and welcoming to all students of all backgrounds.

As the agreement outlines, CUSD did discipline the perpetrators when they could be identified but, in too many cases, the perpetrators were not able to be identified and antisemitic discrimination and harassment therefore went ignored. In all cases, the school district failed to focus on the students affected by these incidents. All schools and districts should take note that while discipline is essential to help prevent future bad behavior and hold perpetrators accountable, it is often not enough. Support must be provided to impacted students and administrators must take action to affect cultural change. 

Following the publication of the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism in May 2023, AJC created and distributed a series of guides to implement the strategy’s recommendations, including one for K-12 public school administrators.

AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org.

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