Trump Administration Investigates NYC Schools over Anti-Israel Teachers' Seminars

The Trump administration has opened an investigation into New York City Public Schools over claims that anti-Israel teachers promoted hatred toward Jewish students in classrooms.

The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights launched the probe nearly two weeks ago into the nation's largest public school system. It followed reports that teachers organized seminars supporting Palestinian resistance and calling Zionists "genocidal white supremacists."

"No child should be taught by his or her teachers to hate their peers. Neither should Jewish children be taught that being Jewish somehow makes them inherently guilty or proponents of hate and violence," Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a statement. "Discrimination has no place in our schools, and, unlike the previous Administration, the Trump Administration will not turn a blind eye to antisemitic harassment."

The investigation comes as Mayor Zohran Mamdani marks his fifth month in office. Mamdani faces criticism for his anti-Israel comments, including accusations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu committed war crimes and claims that Palestinians face a "genocide" by the Jewish state. He revoked an executive order barring New York City officials from boycotting or divesting in Israel, along with another that broadened the definition of antisemitism.

Fox News Digital contacted Mamdani's office.

At issue is NYC Educators for Palestine. The group's mission holds that "education should be a tool for liberation not occupation" and that teachers must work "both inside and outside the classroom" for Palestinian justice.

The Education Department flagged the group's seminars on "Palestinian, Zionism, and Resistance" as a possible Title VI violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Aimed at children as young as 5, the sessions covered "contemporary and historical Palestinian resistance." Complaints said they portrayed Zionists as "genocidal white supremacists" and backed Hamas and its "martyrs."

NYC Educators for Palestine planned a "Teach-In for Palestine" on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, promoted to students as young as 6.

Fox News Digital sought comment from NYC Educators for Palestine.

A New York City Public Schools spokesperson denied any link to the group. "The group referenced is not connected to New York City Public Schools," the spokesperson said.

One parent told Fox News the teachers appeared "so radicalized and so focused on sending messages like this [anti-Israel] rather than focusing on really crucial skills like literacy and critical thinking."

This probe marks the latest Trump administration scrutiny of antisemitism allegations in public schools since the Gaza war began. Last August, it investigated Baltimore City Public Schools for antisemitic harassment; that review continues.

More than 60 colleges and universities face notices of investigations for failing to address campus antisemitism.