Smith + Stangel-Plowe: Bipartisan solutions for radicalism and antisemitism in Philly schools
There is little political consensus between Democrats and Republicans these days, but one area of agreement is this: the School District of Philadelphia has a serious antisemitism problem.
In 2024, the Biden administration’s Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education investigated Philadelphia schools and found repeated antisemitic incidents and district leadership that failed to address the problems. In 2025, the Republican-led House Committee on Education and Workforce launched a subsequent investigation, finding that “antisemitic incidents have continued to proliferate” even after a federal investigation.
These failures are making life intolerable for Philadelphia’s large Jewish population and are distorting how Philly students understand the world.
The causes are systemic: Radical curriculum that divides the world into “oppressor” and “oppressed” groups, often casting Jews as villains, and often demonizing the United States and Israel. A radical faculty that openly celebrates antisemitic violence on the same social media accounts that pass lesson plans along to students. And outside organizations with overt political agendas operating inside schools, co-opting some teachers and administrators to work for them, without any oversight or consequences.
While lawmakers in Washington have taken notice, ultimately, this is a Pennsylvania problem and requires Pennsylvanians to fix it. Harrisburg needs to act. Fortunately, there are already proposals — by legislators of both parties — that are important steps in the right direction.
Senator Doug Mastriano (R) introduced a bill that would require Pennsylvania schools to post their curriculum online so parents can see what their children are being taught. This is common sense, and many school districts in Pennsylvania, such as Lower Dauphin School District, already do this. Unfortunately, we learned the contents of Philadelphia’s social studies curriculum only because a conscientious teacher “leaked” it to the media. The idea that the schoolchildren’s curriculum would need to be “leaked,” as if it were the Pentagon Papers, would strike most Pennsylvanians as absurd, but that’s where we are.
A small but determined cadre of teachers is using this lack of transparency to write and distribute radical, politicized curriculum that cites state-sponsored foreign propaganda outlets, such as the brazenly antisemitic TRT News, which is required to register as a foreign agent of the Turkish government.
Senator Mastriano’s transparency bill passed out of committee in March on a party-line vote, But unfortunately, Democrats on the committee bill appeared to accept the cynical argument that transparency is simply a tool to chill discussions on race and gender. This framing misses the point and takes a far too pessimistic view of America.
Most parents support teaching difficult subjects, including slavery, Jim Crow, and complicated questions about gender. The issue is not whether these topics are taught, but how. Parents have a right to know whether instruction is grounded in facts, primary sources, and age-appropriate materials. Moreover, transparency cuts both ways. Parents could see if teachers downplayed Jim Crow just as clearly as if they promoted critical race theory. Accountability strengthens trust and, in the long run,serves everyone.
Sen. Lindsay Williams (D), the ranking member of the Senate Education Committee, is proposing a bill that would create an Office of Civil Rights within the Pennsylvania Department of Education with an antisemitism prevention coordinator, a necessary proposal for several reasons.
The Biden Administration’s investigation into Philadelphia’s schools ended in a resolution agreement that has not been sufficiently enforced. The Trump administration has publicly tackled antisemitism in some important ways, but its attempt to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, massively reducing its staff, has impaired its capacity to oversee antisemitism-related investigations.
Critics are right that the Biden-era resolution was too weak to solve the problem, but even a flawed agreement requires enforcement, and right now the federal government lacks the capacity to do that effectively. A state-level Office of Civil Rights would allow the Commonwealth to take ownership of this problem. As Senator Williams says, her bill is intended to “give students and families a place to go when their rights have been violated.”
When the House Committee announced its investigation into Philadelphia schools, Governor Josh Shapiro (D) urged the school district to “take very seriously” the Republican-led investigation. Harrisburg should do the same.
Without accountability or oversight, a minority of teachers, administrators, and outside activists have gained disproportionate influence over Philadelphia classrooms, thereby fueling antisemitism and extremism. This issue will not be solved overnight, but a bipartisan acknowledgment of the problem will lead to greater accountability.
This isn’t a federal problem waiting for a solution — it’s a state failure demanding one.
Cliff Smith serves as Director of Government Affairs at North American Values Institute (NAVI) and has worked on issues of ideological extremism for over a decade.
Dana Stangel-Plowe, an educator and lawyer, serves as Chief Program Officer at North American Values Institute (NAVI).
