A Pennsylvania public school teacher has been placed on leave following allegations of referring to a Palestinian American middle school student as an extremist, according to statements from the school district and a Muslim advocacy organization.
Human rights advocates report an increase in hate incidents targeting Muslims, Palestinians, and Jews in the United States, coinciding with the onset of Israel’s conflict in Gaza, which was triggered by an attack from the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023.
On Saturday, the Central Dauphin School District announced that it had become aware of allegations regarding a teacher who reportedly made a derogatory comment during an after-school program last week.
The district confirmed that the teacher implicated in the alleged incident is currently on administrative leave while an investigation is underway. They emphasized their zero-tolerance policy regarding racist speech.
The Council on American Islamic Relations reported that a teacher allegedly stated, “I do not negotiate with terrorists,” in response to a request for a seat change from a Palestinian American student.
The district and CAIR refrained from disclosing the identities of the teacher and student involved in the incident. CAIR reported that it has been in communication with the child’s parents.
Recent incidents in the United States involving children have raised significant concerns, including the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian American girl in Texas and the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy in Illinois.
Recent events have highlighted a series of violent incidents, including the stabbing of a Palestinian American man in Texas, the beating of a Muslim man in New York, a mob attack on pro-Palestinian protesters in California, and the shooting of three Palestinian American students in Vermont.
Recent incidents have sparked significant concern regarding antisemitism, including threats of violence directed at Jews at Cornell University, which resulted in a conviction and sentencing. Additionally, there was an unsuccessful plot to target a Jewish center in New York City, alongside physical assaults on a Jewish man in Michigan, a rabbi in Maryland, and two Jewish students at a university in Chicago.
