(LOS ANGELES, CA – 2/21/2025) – The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today raised concerns regarding the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD)’s agreement to settle a lawsuit from pro-Israel groups accusing district educators of antisemitism for the inclusion of discussions of Palestine in their ethnic studies curriculum. CAIR-LA also called on the SAUSD Board of Education to ensure that the development of future ethnic studies courses remains inclusive.
SEE: Santa Ana School District Settles Lawsuit Over Alleged Antisemitic Classes
On Wednesday, Feb. 19, the SAUSD Board of Education agreed to settle a lawsuit brought against SAUSD by a coalition of pro-Israel groups in an apparent attempt to prevent the district from including critical insight into the history of the forced displacement of Palestinians and the illegal occupation of their land by Israeli forces in high school ethnic studies curriculum and courses.
The pro-Israel groups alleged 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.
The settlement requires that SAUSD cease teaching courses that include discussions of Palestine until they undergo an updated approval process and are re-approved by the board during a public meeting. It also prohibits the use of specific academic materials that “teach, state, or imply, that the Jewish people do not have a right to self-determination (e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor).”
The settlement also requires SAUSD to contact specific organizations, including those that have previously expressed anti-Palestinian rhetoric, to invite them to offer input on the development of future ethnic studies courses. Additionally, it requires SAUSD to break up its Ethnic Studies Steering Committee and subcommittee.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Legal Director Amr Shabaik, Esq., said:
“This settlement goes against the heart of what ethnic studies courses are intended to be: a structural analysis of the experience of marginalized communities and people of color, including Palestinian Americans. The lawsuit was an effort to intimidate and censor any educator who wishes to discuss Palestine in their curriculum or speak on Israel’s forced displacement of Palestinians and illegal occupation of their land.
“It is critical that the Board of Education ensures that these special interest groups, which are attempting to erase all legitimate criticism of Israel, do not take over the district’s ethnic studies courses. The invitations to review future courses must not be done exclusively by these groups, which are not inclusive of the diverse voices that ethnic studies courses are intended to highlight and represent. SAUSD must ensure that any opportunities for reviewing the ethnic studies courses are representative of the diverse makeup of its students and include Palestinian American groups and voices.
“The inclusion of Palestinians’ history, the right to self-determination, and their firsthand experiences is not unlawful and must not be stifled under the pretext of violation of district policy or the weaponization of antisemitism. Ethnic studies education cannot truly be inclusive while ignoring the decades of colonization, occupation, apartheid, and genocide of indigenous Palestinians in their homeland by the state of Israel. These historical facts have directly contributed to the displacement of Palestinians and their resettlement in areas such as Southern California.”
CAIR-LA previously called on the Orange County Superior Court to reject the lawsuit and all efforts to stifle inclusive education in SAUSD schools. 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.
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 Senior Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com
