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By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh
The controversial November 9th pro-Palestine rally at New York City public schools didn’t happen without warning, and there was no apology from the school board.
As reported by the NY Post, a weekly parent school board meeting in Brooklyn, held virtually, had promoted the pro-Palestinian walkout and had kicked out parents who disagreed. At Wednesday’s Zoom meeting, Community Education Council 14, which includes Williamsburg and Greenpoint, had defended its sponsorship of the Nov. 9 walkout in which hundreds of students had marched out of school, including some who yelled “f–k the Jews!”
Per the Post, the school board meeting had been contentious, with some disagreeing with the plan only to be shut down with hateful remarks. One father on the Zoom meeting had questioned the organizations that CEC 14 was partnering with for the walkout– including Youth for Palestine. He was reportedly told by Vice President Marissa Manzanares, “Redirect yourself or you will be removed.”
Another parent, who said he was worried for the safety of his Jewish kids at the school, tried to address the CEC’s posts about “settler colonialism” and “apartheid”, but was cut off and berated. “You need to be lectured,” a fellow attendee replied, while another snapped, “Have you come to a CEC meeting before?” The many Jewish parents were shamelessly booted from the meeting, while other parents were allowed to openly share anti-Semitic comments. “There is literally no proof of Israeli babies being murdered or Israeli women raped,” one person wrote. Attendees who sided with controversial CEC 14 president Tajh Sutton were allowed to speak long past the one-minute time limit. Many of them had #StandWithTajh backgrounds on their screens.
“After the CEC D14 meeting on Wednesday night, it feels clear to me: the inmates are running the asylum,” said Brooklyn parent Lisa Liss, who said she took her kids out of Public school in District 14 last year due to concerns of anti-Semitism. “The unchecked, outrageous anti-Semitic abuse hurled at D14 community members can only be described as insane. “Their behavior has not only gone unrestrained but has been supported and enabled by the superintendent, the DOE, school administrators, and even local elected officials,” she added.
“People were afraid to talk in meetings,” another source, who requested anonymity, told the Post. “The rhetoric is the same. It’s a board of activists, not a board of family representatives.” Other parents said they wish they could afford to pull their kids out of the public school. To date, over 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for the removal of CEC 14 members on Change.org.
The city’s Department of Education has not commented on District 14’s controversial CEC. Per the Post, the day after the meeting, however, Deputy Chancellor Kenita Lloyd sent a notice to all the parent councils reminding them that fully virtual meetings are no longer allowed and that social media content for the groups “should reflect the views of the CCEC as a body, rather than the views of individual members.”
School Board council 14 had promoted the walkout on social media. “We are extremely proud of the interfaith, multiracial community we have built over the last 4 years. Whether Black lives, Asian hate or LGBTQIA+ rights, we’ve remained committed to justice. That legacy continues this Thursday. We call for a #CeasefireNow to preserve life.”
