FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS
In the wake of Israel’s recent assault on Gaza, many schools and universities have recently released one-sided statements of support for Israel that have been emailed to students, families, and community members in their school districts. The schools’ statements fail to acknowledge the dispossession of the Palestinian people under the illegal Israeli occupation and apartheid system or their humanity as they are bombarded and killed by Israeli forces.
We know that these blatantly biased statements can be extremely upsetting and damaging to the Muslim and Palestinian communities, so we created a downloadable template you can fill out and send to your school or university. Download the templates below:
- Higher Education Letter to Schools Regarding Palestine
- Parent/Guardian Letter to Schools (K-12) Regarding Palestine
*These templates constitute suggested material to empower you to advocate on behalf of yourself and/or your child. Note that they do not constitute legal advice. Use your personal judgment to adapt the content to your particular case. If you need more direct assistance, please contact our Civil Rights Department at 408.986.9874
FOR EMPLOYEES
We have also developed a template letter for employees to send to employers who have released one-sided statements in support of Israel while erasing or minimizing the suffering of Palestinians. You should review and edit it to reflect your individual circumstances.
Employee Letter to Employers Regarding Palestine
NOTE: This template constitutes suggested material to empower you to advocate for yourself. It does not constitute legal advice. If you need more direct assistance, please contact our Civil Rights Department at 408.986.9874.
California laws generally prohibit employers from retaliating against employees for their lawful political activities that are non-work related and occur during non-work hours. However, employees should be aware that political beliefs/affiliations are not protected categories under federal/state anti-discrimination laws, and political activity may not be a protected activity. Private employers may still legally take action against employees for pragmatic reasons, e.g., if an employee’s political activities interfere with their own job performance or that of their coworkers, disrupt the employer’s business, or if the employer believes the employee’s work-related political statements are against the company’s beliefs, vision, or morals.