"A new law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last month, creates an Office of Civil Rights within the California Department of Education. The office will have a staff of at least six, including an antisemitism coordinator, who will educate school districts about the harms of bias and investigate discrimination complaints."
""I think it's a good idea and the state of California will pull it off. The risks are small and the possibility for good is large," said Gary Orfield, co-director of the Civil Rights Project at UCLA. "But for it to be successful, it has to have real responsibility and real power.""
"But the road to Newsom's desk was not smooth. The bill faced tough opposition from the California Teachers Assn. , the state's largest teachers union, which argued that the law would limit teachers' right to free speech by curbing their ability to discuss the conflict in Gaza or other topical issues. The union declined to comment for this article."
California established an Office of Civil Rights inside the Department of Education with a minimum six-person staff and an antisemitism coordinator. The office will educate school districts about harms of bias and investigate discrimination complaints. The law responds to a surge in antisemitic incidents after Oct. 7, 2023, and aims to eliminate anti-Jewish and other bias so students of all ethnicities and religions feel protected. The bill was authored by Assemblymembers Rick Chavez Zbur and Dawn Addis. The California Teachers Association opposed the bill, arguing it could limit teachers' free speech on topical issues.
#california-office-of-civil-rights #antisemitism-in-schools #school-discrimination #teacher-free-speech
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