New discrimination complaint against CBSD alleges failure to address Jewish harassment

The anti-Israel social media posts that inflamed Central Bucks West parents has caught the attention of the federal Office of Civil Rights, which has opened an investigation into harassment allegations.

A 200-page complaint filed April 16 alleges the district has failed to respond appropriately to concerns about alleged anti-Israel and anti-semitic posts appearing on social media accounts for the Muslim Student Association and its volunteer advisor, a Spanish teacher at Central Bucks West High School.

Montgomery County resident Monique Hofkin filed the complaint on behalf of another individual, whose name is redacted.

The complaint alleges students have posted "several anti-semitic statements," "nuanced remarks," and "direct attacks" against Jewish students and the community on the MSA's Instagram account, and the teacher has used social media accounts for his private apparel business to "promote anti-semitic/anti-Israel hate speech and calls for violence."

The administration and school board has not disciplined the teacher, though the complaint alleges he has violated two district policies involving electronic communications and social media and networking.

The complaint seeks the immediate termination of the teacher, suspension of his teaching license and an “absolute bar” on his future district employment. It also seeks to remove him as MSA advisor and “enhanced supervision” of the club.

It also seeks district wide assemblies on antisemitism, student trips to the Jewish museum in Philadelphia and mandatory sensitivity training for teachers.

The administration has said it investigated the complaints against the teacher and found he did not violate district policies.

The speech on the personal social media account of students or staff must rise to the level of a "substantial disruption" in school to be considered a policy violation, acting Superintendent James Scanlon said.

"We have not seen that," he added, referencing the posts from the MSA club and Spanish teacher accounts.

The district says that it has investigated recent reports of hate speech and inappropriate comments about Muslim and Jewish communities and they are taking steps to address concerns.

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Among those steps is a proposed updated to the social media rules for student-run clubs that will clarify what content can be posted and put new responsibilities on their volunteer advisors to monitor club social media use and approve posts.

The proposed changes were discussed at the April 30 policy committee meeting.

In a community message on the district’s website, Scanlon and board President Karen Smith acknowledged the ongoing violence between Israel and Palestine and the conversations surrounding this conflict have caused tension for some students and parents.

“There is no space or tolerance in our school community for antisemitism, Islamophobia or any other forms of discrimination or hate. We will do all we can to address this in a way that supports our students and staff,” the statement said.

The district has until May 7 to submit its response and requested documents to the OCR. The federal agency does not publicly release information about complaints or their investigation status.

The OCR has seven other open investigations into discrimination, harassment and retaliation complaints against the district that were filed in 2022.

Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Muslim teacher, student club at center of CBSD discrimination complaint