Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has expressed serious concern over the increase in antisemitism and reports of students feeling unsafe amid widespread protests on college campuses across the country.
In a letter to college and university presidents, Cardona highlighted the disturbing rise in antisemitism targeting Jewish students. He listed examples of antisemitic incidents reported by Jewish students, including:
- Physical assaults or harassment while walking on campus due to their Jewish identity.
- Virulently antisemitic statements, such as being told to “go back to Poland.”
- Verbal abuse while praying for hostages held by Hamas.
- Swastikas drawn on dorm room doors.
Cardona stated that these incidents are “abhorrent” and “have no place on our college campuses.” He emphasized that antisemitism is discrimination and is prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Cardona underlined the need for university campuses to be free of fear and discrimination, especially when Jewish students are concerned about being targeted for their identity.
May 3, 2024
Dear Colleague,
This is an extremely challenging moment for many school communities across the country. What we are witnessing every day on college campuses is deeply concerning, as we hear increasing reports of students feeling unsafe. Students should be able to learn, attend class, and go to commencements without fear or disruption of their educational experience. There is no place for violence on campus ever. As President Biden said yesterday, “In America, violent protest is not protected; peaceful protest is.”
I am particularly disturbed by the sharp rise in antisemitism targeting Jewish students on some college campuses. In recent days, Jewish students have reported:
- Being physically assaulted or harassed while walking on campus, simply for being Jewish;
- Being subjected to virulently antisemitic statements, such as that Jewish students should “go back to Poland;”
- Being subjected to verbal abuse, such as while praying for the safety of hostages being held by Hamas; and
- Coming back to their dorm rooms to find swastikas on their doors.
“These and other such incidents are abhorrent, period,” Cardona wrote. “They have no place on our college campuses. Antisemitism is discrimination and is prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And we stand against antisemitism. We also stand against other forms of hate. Many Jewish students are experiencing fear right now, worried about being targeted for who they are, and it is critical that university campuses be free of such fear.”
The Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights investigates antisemitism and other forms of discrimination in education, including college campuses. Since October 7th, 2023, the Office for Civil Rights has opened more than 100 investigations into complaints about antisemitism and other forms of discrimination under Title VI. ED has a number of resources to support schools in meeting their obligations to provide school environments free from discrimination, including a fact sheet on Protecting Students from Discrimination Based on Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics and Dear Colleague Letters that were sent to schools and colleges across the country.
Over the past several months, I and other senior members of the Biden-Harris Administration have held listening sessions and public events and issued new guidance and resources, to support school leaders, educators, staff, and students with promising strategies for creating and maintaining safe and inclusive learning environments. Since October, we have been in constant communication with community leaders, students, and educators, to hear what they are experiencing and to support them. As the 2023-24 school year comes to a close, I remain incredibly concerned about antisemitic hate directed at students on some campuses.
The ability to engage student voices on challenging issues has always been a hallmark of our country’s progress. People have a right to peacefully protest policies that they disagree with and, of course, to exercise their First Amendment rights. However, environments where students feel unsafe and experience discrimination on college campuses cannot be tolerated.
At the Department of Education, we are eager to provide further resources, training, and technical assistance to help you ensure that our nation’s institutions of higher education foster a culture of safety and inclusion while fulfilling their obligations under federal civil rights law. Examples of additional resources we want to highlight include:
- Promising Postsecondary Strategies for Creating Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments During the Israel-Hamas Conflict
- Resources for Combatting Antisemitism and Islamophobia While Promoting Religious Inclusion in Schools | National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE)
- New and existing Office for Civil Rights resources:
- Discrimination on the Basis of Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics
- List of Open Title VI Shared Ancestry Investigations, Fiscal Year 2024 (beginning 10/1/2023). To request technical assistance regarding the Office for Civil Rights’ enforcement of Title VI, please contact [email protected].
- Dear Colleague Letter to Schools and Universities on the First Amendment
Antisemitism is unacceptable. So is any other form of hate. Many students from Jewish, Muslim, Israeli, and Arab communities have told us that they felt unsafe at school or unfairly targeted simply because of who they are. No students should have to hide symbols of their faith or ancestry for fear of harassment or violence. We take these reports very seriously and will investigate discrimination aggressively. We will continue to work together with you to ensure safe and inclusive learning environments where all students are free to fully experience the rich communities of learning that institutions of higher education provide. For more information on these and other related efforts, please visit our webpage on Supporting Campus Safety.
Sincerely,Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D.U.S. Secretary of Education
