Student-organized ceasefire protests and walkouts provoke controversy DOE, Queens CECs address hate speech

by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor

Eyes are on city public schools in the wake of student protests and walkouts, where city youth called for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. Many protests, according to reports, were filled with hateful rhetoric, much of it aimed at the Jewish community.

“I never thought I’d be witnessing antiSemitism like this in 2023,” an Elmhurst teacher told the Chronicle under the condition of anonymity. “My heart breaks for both Israel and Palestine, but the hate has got to stop.”

On Oct. 26, Mayor Adams and Schools

Chancellor David Banks released a joint statement condemning the hostile rhetoric.

“To be clear, hate has no place in our schools or anywhere else in our city, and we will not tolerate this behavior,” they said.

In an email sent to school faculty last Wednesday, the day before a planned student walkout, Banks wrote, “School leaders, teachers and other school staff should not express their personal views about political matters during the school day, while on school grounds or while working at school events, and it is critical that they set aside their personal views during class discussions about current events.”

The Community Education Council for District 14 in Brooklyn, along with its president, Tajh Sutton, encouraged the walkout by posting fliers on social media, much to the chagrin of parents and other faculty. A petition signed by over 1,500 people demanded that CEC 14 board members be removed.

Among the critics was Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Rockaway Park), who released a statement on Nov. 9 saying CEC 14 was “fostering the opposite goal of our education system” by encouraging students to skip class for a “hate-filled” rally.