LA Public Schools Must Include Muslim, Arab Students in Efforts To Create Safe, Welcoming Campus Environment for All

By Hussam Ayloush

Public schools should be a welcoming and safe space for all students.

That’s why I support the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) Superintendent’s decision to reverse the Board of Education’s 3–2 vote to display the Israeli flag at BHUSD school campuses and district buildings every May during Jewish Heritage Month.

The three board members who voted in favor of the resolution—Judith Manouchehri, Sigalie Sabag, and Russell Stuart—attempted to exploit their roles as trustees of public schools, funded by taxpayer dollars, to advance their personal political bias without regard to the mental and emotional well-being of the students they represent. The original resolution, in early August, stated that the Israeli flag would be displayed in a show of support for the “Jewish state,” a phrase commonly used to refer to Israel. Prior to passing the resolution on Aug. 26, the board revised the language, replacing “Jewish state” with “Jewish community.” However, the original intent—and what the flag truly represents—remains the same.

In reversing the Board’s action, Superintendent Alex Cherniss cited the “safety and security of our students” as the basis for his decision. But was the Superintendent concerned about the safety of all students when he took that “immediate action”?

In his statement, the Superintendent failed to address the overarching concern raised by students, teachers, and community members: Public schools should not be used to make political statements in support of foreign governments committing genocide.

His decision also neglected to overturn other problematic aspects of the resolution. On Aug. 26, BHUSD officials also voted to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which falsely conflates criticism of the state of Israel with antisemitism, and has been rejected by more than 100 international bodies and civil society organizations. In doing so, the BHUSD Board and Superintendent Cherniss are attempting to silence its Palestinian students by effectively telling them that decrying Israel’s murder of their families in Gaza is hate speech against the Jewish community.

While I appreciate efforts by Beverly Hills and other California school districts to celebrate the diversity of our students and learn about their culture and heritage, flying the Israeli flag in a public school setting is not an acknowledgment of faith or heritage; it is a political statement in support of a state that has been accused by every major international human rights organization, including Israeli groups—and now the world’s leading genocide scholars—of engaging in genocide, ethnic cleansing, and forced starvation in Gaza. Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli military, under the leadership of accused war criminal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has massacred over 63,000 civilians in Gaza, including more than 18,000 children.

For more than two years, Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students across California, when speaking out against Israel’s war crimes, have been met with fierce opposition from school districts and college administrations. They have been subjected to censorship, unjust punishments, and militarized police responses—all at the hands of institutions that should be fostering free thought and intelligent debate. These students have been made to feel unwelcome and unsafe on their own campuses for exercising their First Amendment right to peacefully protest Israel’s ongoing genocide.

By refusing to acknowledge the immense harm that displaying the flag of a foreign state currently committing genocide in Gaza would inflict on its Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students, the Beverly Hills school district has shown that it clearly values the safety of some students over others. All students should be treated equally. There shouldn’t be two classes of students: those who support Israel, and everybody else. School boards are elected to serve all students and their parents, not just those who fit their political agendas.

There is no denying that antisemitism, along with Islamophobia, is on the rise. Time and again, we have seen and unequivocally condemned antisemitic vandalism and hate incidents targeting the Jewish community in the greater Los Angeles area. Just last month, Wilbur Charter for Enriched Academics, which had previously been targeted by hate, was vandalized with swastikas. The Jewish community deserves to feel safe —especially children in their schools—and we stand in solidarity with them during these increasingly difficult times. However, displaying symbolic allegiance to Israel on public school grounds is not the solution. To truly address rising hate, BHUSD must invest in an honest education about antisemitism and all forms of bigotry, rather than equating Jewish faith and identity with the political actions of a foreign government.

The Superintendent and the school board must recognize the emotional and psychological harm, as well as the unsafe and unwelcome environment, that displaying the Israeli flag would have created for Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students. BHUSD officials must also address rising Islamophobia on their school campuses and exert equal effort to ensure that all students feel safe—not just some.

Elected officials should not misuse, abuse, or exploit their office to advance foreign policy agendas at the expense of the mental, emotional and physical safety of all students — especially at public schools, funded by taxpayer dollars.   

I urge BHUSD officials to meet with diverse students, families and advocates, including Jewish and Muslim members, to gain a deeper and more comprehensive perspective on what the Israeli flag represents on the global stage, and redouble their efforts to make all students feel welcome, heard, and respected.  

Hussam Ayloush is the Executive Director of CAIR Los Angeles. CAIR is the nation’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.