Fulton County Schools Probed for Alleged Antisemitism

Multiple schools in Fulton County are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights regarding alleged pervasive antisemitism.

Atlanta News First (ANF) reported that the Office for Civil Rights is following up on a complaint filed in August of last year alleging hostile learning environments for Jewish and Israeli students in the school system since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. The schools under investigation are as follows: Alpharetta High School, Chattahoochee High School, Johns Creek High School, FCS Innovation Academy, Autrey Middle School, Creek View Elementary School, Findlay Oaks Elementary School, and Dolvin Elementary School.

Johns Creek High School is one of several Fulton County schools under investigation for allegedly creating an unsafe learning environment for Jewish and Israeli students.

According to ANF, the Office for Civil Rights will investigate whether Fulton County School District officials “responded to an alleged environment for students based on their national origin consistent with the requirements of Title VI,” the policy related to programs or activities receiving financial support from the U.S. Department of Education.

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The August 2024 complaint was filed jointly by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education, and the National Jewish Advocacy Center, claiming Fulton County School District failed to prevent an “eruption” of antisemitism in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

An official with the embattled school district sent the following statement to ANF, “Fulton County Schools is deeply committed to fostering a safe and respectful learning environment for all students. We take any allegations of discrimination or harassment seriously and investigate all reported incidents thoroughly and we remain steadfast in our responsibility to uphold the rights and protections of every student. Our focus will always be on ensuring a school community where all students feel valued and supported.”

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating multiple Fulton County Schools, including Alpharetta High School.

Fulton County is not the only local school district that has dealt with displays of antisemitism by students. In February 2022, a Jewish student reported that classmates at East Cobb Middle School were photographed wearing an armband with a swastika and demonstrated the Nazi salute. The photographs were posted on social media.

During the 2021 Jewish High Holy Days, graffiti including swastikas and “Hail Hitler” were scrawled above urinals in school bathrooms in Pope and Lassiter High Schools. The Cobb County School District was strongly criticized for not addressing the antisemitic aspect of the graffiti, only calling it “hate speech.”

And antisemitism has also manifested on local college campuses over the last few years, including Emory University and Kennesaw State University, which saw prolonged pro-Palestine demonstrations after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas.