Jewish families decry 'rampant' antisemitism by California school district in lawsuit

A group of families in California have filed a lawsuit against Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD), accusing them of failing to protect Jewish students from "rampant" antisemitism, discrimination and harassment by both peers and faculty members. 

"Antisemitism is on the rise and somehow becoming culturally acceptable," Sam Kasle, a dad who filed the suit, told "Fox & Friends First" host Carley Shimkus. 

Kasle recounted an incident in which his daughter was taught what he describes as "propaganda" by a teacher wearing "Free Palestine" apparel.

In a vocabulary matching test, students were instructed to define "Palestine" as a country that was formally recognized by the United Nations in 1947, Kasle said. He also claimed the same class included a definition of "Hamas" as a "a political party continuing the fight against Israel."

"When she brought this up to the teacher… he belittled her, made an example of her," Kasle alleged.

The lawsuit points to several incidents like the one described by Kasle, which began shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack in Israel that killed over 1,200 people and triggered a larger conflict with Hamas. Since the outbreak of the war, thousands of Palestinians have died, and protests and demonstrations have spread across college campuses nationwide.

The lawsuit also alleges that SUHSD officials and teachers distributed antisemitic materials, made or tolerated anti-Jewish jokes and slurs, and even advised Jewish students to conceal their religious identities to avoid harassment. 

It also alleges a swastika was etched onto the pavement of the Woodside High School’s campus. When district authorities were alerted, they reportedly dismissed the symbol as "spiritual symbol[s] from Japanese Buddhism" rather than acting against the offender.

This rise in antisemitism is not isolated to the district, with a recent report by the civil rights group StopAntisemitism showing 72% of Jewish college students in the U.S. feel "unwelcome" on their campuses, and more than half have been victims of antisemitic incidents.

Kasle, along with other parents, expressed frustration over the district’s lack of response.

"The administration basically circled the wagons over the past year," he said. "And regardless of their formal processes, they really didn’t lift a finger. Their number one responsibility is not to protect themselves or the teachers, but to protect the children."

The Sequoia Union High School District did not respond to a request for comment, Shimkus noted.

EdSource reported that the district had not yet been served with the lawsuit.