How Independent Schools Can Address Antisemitism: 6 Steps

Independent K-12 schools play a critical role in shaping not only academic excellence but also the moral and social values of future generations. Since October 7, Jewish students and families in K-12 schools have experienced a disturbing rise in antisemitism – making it clear that schools must take clear, decisive action.

This includes having zero indifference toward antisemitism – particularly antisemitic symbols and antisemitic classroom content, which are increasingly becoming prevalent manifestations of antisemitism in K-12 schools – and implementing the policies necessary to educate the school community and form the foundations for administrative response. Schools must not only be responsive when antisemitism occurs but should actively celebrate and embrace Jewish identity to assure Jewish families that they belong. Anything less sends a dangerous message – and risks driving Jewish families away from independent K-12 school communities altogether.

The 6 Asks below outline the immediate steps independent K-12 schools must take to ensure Jewish students are safe, supported and able to thrive.

As a leading provider of antisemitism training for students and educators in K-12 schools, ADL is ready to support schools and education professionals across the country in this critical work.

1. Clearly define antisemitism and ensure consistent application when responding to reports of antisemitic harassment or discrimination.

Antisemitism is a complex and nuanced form of discrimination that is often not well understood. This is in large part because antisemitism is more than just a form of religious hatred. It can take the form of:

2. Educate students, teachers and community members about Jewish identity, antisemitism (including modern iterations), and ensure robust Holocaust education in school.

Many schools either do not include content in their curriculum that is focused on Jewish history, identity, and culture, or have proposed or considered adopting content that veers into antisemitism and/or extreme anti-Israel bias. This is particularly concerning at a time of rising antisemitic incidents across the country. Schools must ensure that topics like Jewish identity, Jewish history and manifestations of antisemitism are properly incorporated in K-12 curricula and training efforts.

Schools should take similar steps to ensure that Holocaust education is covered in the classroom. Holocaust education is an effective, proven lever to combat antisemitism in society; and yet, unfortunately, the Holocaust is still not universally addressed in K-12 curricula. It is therefore not surprising that surveys have found an alarming lack of knowledge about the Holocaust among younger generations. This is deeply concerning, as the latest research from ADL’s Center for Antisemitism Research (CAR) suggests a direct relationship between deficiencies in Holocaust education and an increase in prejudicial, antisemitic beliefs.

Fortunately, there is broad public support for expanding education on both the Holocaust and antisemitism: A 2024 ADL survey revealed that 89% of Americans support Holocaust education being offered at the K-12 level and 84% support education on antisemitism. Among parents, 86% support antisemitism education, and 88% endorse Holocaust education; notably, 52% of parents believe Holocaust education should be mandatory.

Despite this broad public backing, there is a significant gap in educational offerings. The 2024 research showed that only 21% of parents surveyed reported that their child’s school provides antisemitism education, and 30% have access to Holocaust education, with a mere 15% receiving both.

We therefore urge schools to:

• Offer trainings to raise awareness of the manifestations, and impacts of antisemitism, as well as education on reporting pathways.
• Incorporate content into the curriculum focused on Jewish history, culture, and identity.
• Incorporate Holocaust studies into the curriculum.
• Provide mandatory antisemitism awareness and Holocaust education professional development trainings for all educators.

3. Clearly communicate and enforce the law and all state policies and protocols, including student and employee codes of conduct and anti-bullying, anti-harassment, and anti-discrimination policies, and establish a Title VI office or coordinator role, ensuring robust reporting mechanisms and procedures for the investigation of complaints are in place.

It is critical that all schools have clear and transparent non-discrimination, anti-harassment and anti-bullying policies (including policies pertaining to cyberbullying); clear and transparent mechanisms for students, parents, teachers and staff to report hate incidents (whether antisemitism, or any other form of hate) to school administrators; procedures for responding to reports of bias/hate incidents, including investigation of incidents, communication to the broader parent community about such incidents, and education to address the broader impact these incidents have on school communities.

Schools should also establish Title VI offices or appoint Title VI coordinators responsible for overseeing compliance with federal civil rights obligations. These offices or coordinators should offer support to students, educators, and staff who report harassment or bias based on race, color, or national origin, as defined by federal law; ensure that all members of the school community understand how to report discrimination; ensure complaints are taken seriously and investigated promptly, fairly, and consistently, with complainants informed of progress and outcomes in a timely manner; lead training and education efforts to prevent discrimination; maintain accurate records of complaints and track trends; review complaints collectively to assess whether they indicate a broader hostile environment; and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, share data about discrimination complaints publicly.  

Schools must also be mindful of cases where speech creates or contributes to a hostile environment for Jewish students or causes a material and substantial disruption in school. In such cases, in order to protect the rights of all students, schools may need to take corrective action.

We urge schools to create and consistently enforce robust and comprehensive policies and procedures to effectively respond to identity-based discrimination, harassment and bullying in K-12 schools in a timely manner, and to take steps to ensure transparency regarding the enforcement of these policies to the extent allowable under law.

4. Take proper steps to ensure formal curricula and teaching resources do not amplify antisemitism or delegitimize/demonize the State of Israel or its existence.

Schools should ensure that lesson plans are free from antisemitic bias and that they do not unintentionally amplify or perpetuate antisemitic beliefs or attitudes in a school community that could create or contribute to a hostile environment for Jewish students. It is critical that lessons on Middle East history, Israel, Palestine, Judaism and the Holocaust are taught in a fact-based and pedagogically sound way. ADL has a number of resources that can be used to support schools, including a guide on recognizing and combating problematic messages.

Antisemitic or biased language should be addressed immediately to prevent adoption or escalation. No lesson or classroom conversation on Middle East history or a related topic should contain any of the following:

• Content suggesting that any population of residents in the region should be eliminated or displaced from where they live.
• Use of nationalities or other group identifiers (such as Zionists, Israelis, Palestinians, etc.) as slurs or pejoratives.
• Use of dehumanizing names or comparisons (like “vermin,” “savages”).
• Generalizations about all people in an identity group.

We urge schools to ensure that all lessons on Israel, Judaism, Jewish people and the Holocaust do not contain negative bias that amplifies antisemitism or delegitimizes or demonizes the State of Israel.

5. Speak out and take other corrective actions when antisemitism creates a hostile environment for Jewish members of the school community.

Schools must issue clear statements condemning antisemitism when antisemitic incidents occur and treat antisemitism with the same seriousness as other forms of hate and discrimination. When a school experiences an antisemitic incident, one of the most important steps that school leadership can take is to call it out publicly in a swift, clear and direct manner. And when Jewish students, educators or staff are subjected to discrimination, exclusion, or harassment that creates a hostile environment, school leadership should be prepared to make clear that such actions will be investigated and appropriately addressed. Antisemitic behavior regardless of the source causes real harm – not simply hurt feelings – to both the targeted student(s) and the community as a whole, which must be addressed.

It is important to remember that even when an antisemitic incident involves protected speech, schools still need to take corrective action to remedy a hostile environment that is created by the speech. In addition to condemning antisemitism, remedial steps could include:

• Providing counseling and support to the students who were harassed.
• Offering counseling to the offending students regarding the harmful effects of their conduct.
• Hosting a school assembly to discuss antisemitism and its harmful impact.
• Reiterating the school’s values and culture of being welcoming, inclusive and respectful of students of all races, colors, and national origins.

In addition, schools can:

• Train teachers and administrators, including the leadership team, on how to recognize, report and address antisemitic incidents.
• Create an age-appropriate program to educate students about the history and dangers of antisemitism.
• Conduct outreach to parents and community groups (like ADL) to learn ways to prevent future antisemitic harassment.
• Depending on the underlying facts, the school may be legally required to take other action reasonably calculated to redress the hostile environment.

We urge schools to speak out strongly and unequivocally in the wake of antisemitic incidents, and to take appropriate remedial actions in response.

6. Embrace Jewish students in a welcoming and inclusive environment that acknowledges their identities and the diversity of the Jewish people.

In order to create welcoming and inclusive learning environments, schools should take reasonable steps to accommodate students’ and employees’ religious observances, background, and beliefs. This includes:

• Regularly conducting school climate surveys to assess the experiences of students, families and employees regarding discrimination, harassment, and inclusion, including experiences related to antisemitism. Surveys should evaluate awareness of and confidence in reporting processes, perceptions of the school’s response to complaints, and opportunities for improving school policies, procedures, and responses related to discrimination and harassment, including antisemitism.
• Accommodating students who may miss school for a religious observance by providing students with an excused absence and a reasonable amount of time to make up any missed work.
• Accommodating educators and staff who may miss work for a religious observance by providing an excused absence and a reasonable opportunity to make up missed responsibilities or adjust their duties accordingly.
• Encouraging teachers, athletic directors, and other programmatic heads to avoid scheduling major events (tests, tryouts, etc.) on religious holidays like the Jewish Sabbath and the Jewish High Holidays (including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur).
• Ensuring that student and employee dress code policies provide appropriate accommodations for religious garb.
• Providing reasonable accommodations to support students and employees with dietary needs due to religious beliefs or observances.

We urge schools to review and/or update their religious accommodation policies or guidelines and take other steps to help foster equitable and inclusive learning environments for all members of school communities.