Student Protestors Are Not Fueled by Hatred or Prejudice

To the Editor:

I just wanted to comment on the recent article about challenges relating to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza in K-12 schools (“Israel-Hamas War Poses Tough Questions for K-12 Leaders, Too,” May 6, 2024). Writing that excludes what students are protesting comes off as biased and perpetuates a false narrative of who feels safe or at risk at school.

Students who are protesting the war might have lost family members who were killed in Gaza. Their criticism of the United States government helping to fund the killing of their family members is not inherently anti-Jewish or antisemitic, it is anti-war, and their teachers and principals are silencing them. Right now, Israel is a heavily armed country that has killed more than 35,000 people in the past seven months, the majority of whom are women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities. Most students are protesting the war and Israel’s actions, not Jewish people or their faith.

See Also

Mathematics What the Research Says Math Anxiety Weakens How Students Study. Here's What Teachers Can Do A study finds students worried about the subject prepare less effectively, often without realizing what they are doing wrong.

I suggest a revision of this article with less bias so that we reduce actual antisemitism and Islamophobia that is legitimately happening in schools.

Greta Anderson

SEL Product Designer

Seattle, Wash.