A group of Jewish organizations criticized the California Teachers Association’s “hypocritical and misleading” opposition to a state bill aimed at addressing antisemitism in K-12 schools.
The bill, AB 715, would establish an Office of the Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator that would “provide training, education and educational resources to identify and prevent antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, and document and track all complaints made pursuant to the uniform complaint process involving antisemitism and take part in subsequent action, as provided,” according to the bill’s text.
A joint statement published on Monday stated that “at CTA’s urging, we pivoted from addressing antisemitism in ethnic studies to a broader school-wide approach.”
“CTA’s recently released opposition letter is not only offensive, it is fundamentally hypocritical,” the Jewish organizations stated. “They claim to oppose antisemitism yet reject any meaningful action to address it. They dismiss targeted protections for Jewish students on the grounds that it focuses on a single community, despite having recommended this approach themselves, and despite supporting similar efforts for other groups.”
Statement signatories included the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, StandWithUs, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Holocaust Museum LA, as well as local Jewish Federation chapters.
The organizations also claimed that the CTA is criticizing parts of the bill that were already removed at the union’s behest.
“Instead of offering real solutions, they propose vague, universalist ‘restorative practices’ and trainings to ‘create safe spaces’—wholly inadequate responses to the dangerous reality of antisemitism in schools,” the organizations said.
They argued that the bill “provides practical, fair tools to prevent and respond to antisemitism” and “sets clear standards for constructive conversations about Jews and Israel, requires antisemitism education and prevention training, and equips schools to foster safe, inclusive learning environments—without overburdening educators.”
The organizations urged the CTA “to reconsider their position, engage in good faith, and join the historic coalition of Jewish and diverse organizations working to make schools safe for our students.” (JNS sought comment from the CTA.)
The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Bay Area, one of the signatories to the joint statement, wrote on social media that antisemitic incidents in K-12 schools surged by 623% in the state in the past decade.
“AB 715 is a widely supported, bipartisan bill that would give schools the tools to respond,” JCRC stated. “It passed the Assembly unanimously and is backed by California Legislative Diversity Caucuses.”
JCRC added that “after months of delays, misleading claims and repeated accommodations in response to their evolving requests, CTA now opposes the bill—applying a different standard than they’ve used for other communities.”
Dr. Kira Stein, chair and founder of the Jewish Faculty Resilience Group at UCLA, which consists of professors, postdoctoral researchers and staff who support the school’s Jewish community, wrote that the CTA’s opposition to the bill as well as the National Education Association’s vote to cut ties from the Anti-Defamation League are examples of the unions showing their hand.
“Why are teachers’ unions pushing propaganda over protection?” Stein asked. “Jewish students deserve the same safety as everyone else. Period.”
