JCRC Statement on CAIR’s lawsuit against Montgomery County Public Schools

The following is a statement from Guila Franklin Siegel, associate director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, in response to the announcement of CAIR’s lawsuit against the Montgomery County Public Schools.

We are disappointed, though not surprised, that CAIR — an organization whose leaders regularly spew antisemitic vitriol — would file a lawsuit that blatantly disregards the education and wellbeing of Jewish children and families in Maryland’s largest school district. 

Students of all backgrounds and faiths have the right to feel respected and supported inside and outside the classroom, and MCPS has clear policies to ensure that educators safeguard that right on their personal and official communications channels. MCPS has both the authority and the responsibility to fully and impartially investigate any potential infractions. In a time when antisemitism is running rampant in Montgomery County and across the nation, CAIR’s lawsuit would sustain what these longstanding school policies seek to avoid: students feeling unsafe and under attack simply because of their identity.

More than 3,500 people across Montgomery County recently signed a petition applauding MCPS for continuing its investigations. We encourage the district as well as the courts to act in the best interests of children and families and resist pressure from those who fan the flames of hate.