The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today called on the Orange County Superior Court to reject a lawsuit from anti-Palestinian groups falsely accusing Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) educators of antisemitism for including Palestine in their ethnic studies curriculum. The lawsuit also alleges that SAUSD violated the law by not allowing meetings regarding the course to be open to the public.
SEE: Santa Ana School District Sued for Allegedly Creating Antisemitic Classes in Secret
Today, Dec. 6, the OC Superior Court heard oral arguments from a coalition of groups that have expressed anti-Palestinian rhetoric and are attempting to stop SAUSD from including Palestine in the district’s high school ethnic studies curriculum. The course provides critical insight into the history of the forced displacement of Palestinians and the illegal occupation of their land by Israeli forces.
These anti-Palestinian groups allege that the SAUSD Board of Education signed off on courses created by the district’s ethnic studies steering committee in partnership with “antisemitic” groups and that the committee concealed its meetings from the Jewish community and the public.
In May 2023, SAUSD faced pressure from anti-Palestinian groups to remove Palestine from the district’s ethnic studies curriculum. Despite these efforts, the district voted to keep the course as is. Since then, SAUSD has continued to face constant backlash from these anti-Palestinian organizations as they attempt to silence any discussions on Palestine.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Legal Director Amr Shabaik, Esq., said:
“This lawsuit from anti-Palestinian groups targeting SAUSD’s ethnic studies program is a direct attack on the principles of education. For years, educators have faced harassment, doxing, and threats simply for their efforts to rightfully include Palestine in their ethnic studies curriculum, and this lawsuit is yet another attempt to intimidate anyone who legitimately criticizes Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and decades of human rights violations and illegal occupation of Palestinian land. It sends a clear message that these groups falsely deem expressions of Palestinian history, the right to self-determination, and firsthand experiences as antisemitic.
“Ethnic studies courses are intended to be a structural analysis of the experiences of marginalized communities and people of color, including Palestinian Americans. Meaningful ethnic studies courses provide opportunities for students to discuss and learn about these experiences in order to understand and address the root causes of inequity and create positive social change. Schools must remain spaces where open discussions and diverse views are promoted, not censored. We urge the OC Superior Court to reject this lawsuit targeting the SAUSD ethnic studies program, and all efforts to stifle inclusive education.”
SEE ALSO: Judge rejects lawsuit over ‘liberated’ ethnic studies classes in LAUSD
Anti-Palestinian groups across the country have used lawsuits as an intimidation tactic against educators who include Palestine in their curriculum and speak out against Israel. In May 2022, a similar lawsuit was filed against United Teachers Los Angeles and the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium for characterizing Israel’s existence as “based on ethnic cleansing and land theft, apartheid, and genocide.” However, the case was dismissed by a federal judge on Nov. 30, 2024.
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Digital Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com