House launches investigation into alleged antisemitism in public school districts in Virginia, Pennsylvania and California

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN

(CNN) — A House panel Monday launched an investigation into alleged antisemitism in three public school districts in California, Virginia and Pennsylvania, as the Trump administration continues targeting educational institutions for what it says is a failure to protect Jewish students.

Rep. Tim Walberg, a Michigan Republican who chairs the Education and Workforce Committee, sent letters to Berkeley Unified School District in California, Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia and the School District of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, requesting information related to reports of antisemitism from the last few years “including whether there was or is a hostile environment against Jewish K-12 students.”

The committee said it will evaluate whether the school districts are complying with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal funding. The schools have until December 8 to hand over the documents.

Fairfax County Public Schools told CNN it received the letter, saying in a statement, “FCPS intends to fully cooperate with Congressman Walberg’s inquiry. FCPS continues to partner with all families to provide a safe, supportive, and inclusive school environment for all students and staff members.”

CNN has reached out the other two school districts for comment.

In his second term, President Donald Trump has prioritized combating what he considers anti-Israel and antisemitic movements in K-12 public schools and college campuses.

The committee cited reports of alleged bullying of Jewish students, antisemitic displays, and comments from teachers and administrators. Both the Berkeley Unified School District and the School District of Philadelphia had previously been investigated for how they handled alleged antisemitic incidents by the Biden administration.

While the Philadelphia school district settled with the Department of Education in December 2024 and agreed to a “federally mandated corrective action plan,” Walberg, in his letter Monday, insisted that “according to press and whistleblower reports, antisemitic incidents have continued to proliferate since the plan.”

The probe comes more than a year after a Congressional hearing to focus on alleged antisemitism in K-12 schools, which featured officials from liberal-leaning areas like New York City; Montgomery County, Maryland; and the Berkeley Unified School District, which was sent a letter on Monday.

At the hearing last May, BUSD Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel was questioned by the panel about curriculum on antisemitism and the Israel-Palestine conflict in her district, which included literature that said “For some Palestinians, ‘from the river to the sea’ is a call for freedom and peace.”

Asked if that was appropriate, Morthel said at the time, “We definitely believe it’s important to expose our students to a diversity of ideas and perspectives, and if it was presented as a perspective, I do think it’s appropriate.”

Some pro-Palestinian advocates say the phrase is a call for justice and an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. But the Anti-Defamation League and many supporters of Israel argue the phrase is an antisemitic slogan and say it calls for the destruction of Israel and the removal of Jews from the country.

Other hearings have focused primarily on US universities, dozens of which are under investigation by the Trump administration for alleged Title VI violations.

CNN’s Matt Egan, Karina Tsui and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.

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