A school in the Scottsdale Unified School District is being accused of putting Jewish students at risk after it allowed materials from UNICEF to be shared among members of a school club.
“Desert Mountain in SUSD took it upon itself to endanger Jewish students by putting forth a false presentation regarding the situation in the war going on in Israel,” said Scottsdale parent and former member of the Israeli Defense Forces, Shiry Sapir, in a tweet. “Remind them that publicly funded schools aren’t supposed to partake in propaganda and anti-Semitic rhetoric.”
Sapir shared the information about the matter after a mother reached out to her on Facebook.
“Hey Shiry,” the mother wrote. “My daughter goes to Desert Mountain hs and just attended a UNICEF club meeting. I wish she took pics or video but she said all they spoke about was how Israel is the aggressor and Jews want to kill all Muslims. How Israel took the land illegally and is committing war crimes. Craziest propaganda. This is in a Scottsdale public school. We’ve complained to the principal but got a weak response, they’re looking into it. One of the slides they showed was Israel being an apartheid state.”
Desert Mountain in SUSD took it upon itself to endanger Jewish students by putting forth a false presentation regarding the situation in the war going on in Israel. Remind them that publicly funded schools aren't supposed to partake in propaganda and anti-Semitic rhetoric. pic.twitter.com/EQR3y9fR8y
— Shiry Sapir (@shirysapir) November 2, 2023
The popular parent group, Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) shared some of the slides students were shown in a tweet:
“We’re going to share a few of the slides that were presented by the UNICEF club at Desert Mountain High School, and apparently approved by principal, Dr. Lisa Hirsch.
DMHS will be holding a fundraiser to support those who want to completely erase the Jewish population.”
Desert Mountain in SUSD took it upon itself to endanger Jewish students by putting forth a false presentation regarding the situation in the war going on in Israel. Remind them that publicly funded schools aren't supposed to partake in propaganda and anti-Semitic rhetoric. pic.twitter.com/EQR3y9fR8y
— Shiry Sapir (@shirysapir) November 2, 2023
“Shame on Desert Mountain High School! Many Scottsdale Unified clubs are hiding places for propaganda. No parent consent required. SUSD claims that clubs are “student led.” They are not,” tweeted the group, vowing to “watch to see how” the district “corrects this situation.”
Desert Mountain High School principal Dr. Lisa Hirsch sent parents what was described as a “confusing response to concerns raised about the materials.”
Hirsch initially claimed that the antisemitic content to be presented by the “student led club” were reviewed by her and “led to some necessary edits.”
While some have cast doubt on Hirsch’s account of the events, critics believe what is more concerning is that material that remained after Hirsch’s review offered a one-sided criticism of Israel. The themes of the presentation to students include claims of Israel “illegal” occupation, sustaining an “apartheid system,” and of engaging in “targeted violence.” All of these themes promote Israeli hate and general anti-Semitism, which have the effect of creating an unsafe environment for the SUSD Jewish student community.
Sapir reached out to Scottsdale Unified School District Superintendent Scott Menzel. He referred to a new email from Hirsch, that included assurances that the district was working with the progressive Anti-Defamation League to address the matter.
From: Scott Menzel <smenzel@susd.org>
Date: 11/3/23 5:19 PM (GMT-07:00)
To: shirys12 <shirys12@gmail.com>, govbrd <govbrd@susd.org>
Subject: Re: UNICEF Meetin at Desert Mountian (sic)Thank you for expressing your concerns, Shiry. There was a fair amount of partial information circulating regarding the club meeting that took place on Thursday, but the concerns that were expressed are ones that the school leadership and district take seriously. Please see below for the communication from Dr. Hirsch that went out to families this afternoon.
Sincerely,
ScottLisa Hirsch • Friday, Nov 3 at 4:25 PM • Desert Mountain High School
November 3rd 2023
Dear Desert Mountain High School Families,I am writing tonight to let you know that our school does not tolerate Antisemitism, Islamophobia or any hate speech at all. I cherish this diverse and caring community.
I want to provide you with an update regarding the concerns that have arisen following a joint meeting with the UNICEF and Amnesty International Clubs during the lunch period on Thursday, November 2nd. The slide show that students initially planned to share during the club meeting has been circulated on social media, leading to numerous emails expressing concerns received by the Governing Board, the Superintendent and myself.
Although student clubs are voluntary and student-initiated, it is a requirement that a staff sponsor be present at each meeting. The role of the sponsor is not to dictate the content of the club meetings but rather to provide guidance and support. In this instance, a preliminary review of the slide show led to some necessary edits. Following a more thorough review, I saw an opportunity to enhance our approach to advising our student clubs without limiting their freedom of speech.
This morning, I had the opportunity to meet with the leadership of both clubs along with the Jewish Student Union Club’s sponsor. Our first order of business was to make sure we spoke about how each student needed to feel safe and have a trusted adult to turn to should they become overwhelmed today. We also spoke about the presentation and came up with a more specific protocol for moving forward.
Throughout the day I met with student club officers from each organization. We stand together to be sure we never prompt anyone to feel badly about their religion, culture or where they come from. It is absolutely clear that these students had no intention of promoting any form of Antisemitism. Their primary focus was to shed light on the humanitarian crisis and discuss possible ways to address it. In the future we will have a stronger review process.
During our sponsors meeting, we discussed the need to engage in these complex conversations in a civil and respectful manner, taking into account the broader context. It is important that we create an environment where all students feel safe and supported, sharing their concerns and participating in meaningful discussions.
This afternoon, I spoke with a representative from the Anti-Defamation League, an organization with which I have had close to 30 years of experience working with. We agree that in this educational environment, we must create space for students to wrestle with conflicting viewpoints while also providing guidance regarding how to engage in a way that doesn’t marginalize or disrespect any individual or group of people.
Our core value of empathy is grounded in a commitment to welcoming all with kindness, love, compassion, and joy. During these dark and troubled times, our school is working diligently to navigate difficult conversations in a way that honors the learning process for our students. We will continue to work to create a safe and supportive school where each person feels a sense of belonging and knows they are valued for who they are, regardless of any particular identity they have.
We greatly appreciate the guidance and expertise that organizations like the Anti-Defamation League provide as we continue to tackle these issues and promote a positive learning environment.
If you have any further thoughts or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lisa Hirsch, Principal Desert Mountain High School
“The principle in her email to parents states “we must create space for students to wrestle with conflicting viewpoints while also providing guidance regarding how to engage in a way that doesn’t marginalize or disrespect any individual or group of people”. What an empty claim when the evidence from the meeting, not only the slides but testimony of students pointed to the contrary,” Sapir told the Arizona Daily Independent. “It is apparent that for too long now the school districts do not seem to differentiate between logical and critical thinking, moral public debate and thought provoking discussions in schools, versus the one-dimensional, indoctrination-driven, propaganda and loaded political and social topics being presented unchecked to students. This occurs as usual, without the consent or knowledge of parents. The education system injects social justice organizations such as GLSEN, UNICEF, Amnesty International and others, who are heavily funded and are equipped with brain washing doctrines and methods to change students’ world view either through persuasion or peer pressure. Any reasonable adult who takes a look at the first page of any of these organizations’ websites can instantly determine their gross bias. For the principal to claim ignorance on this, is a stretch.”
“The school clubs are a very gray area where the schools seem to be able to hide behind the “student led” concept to relieve themselves from responsibility,” explained Sapir. The principal by her own admission, had prior knowledge of the controversial content, yet did not make the parents or club members aware of the content prior to the meeting, nor had someone from staff oversee the meeting. She also claimed the meeting was voluntary where the meeting announcement clearly stated it was “mandatory.” This failure of oversight is what we expect an answer on. Our demand to present to those club members the facts regarding Israeli children being slaughtered, beheaded, and held hostage in Gaza so they are granted access to fair information on the conflict is yet to be answered by the district.”