CAIR-NY, with NYCLU and AALDEF, sent a letter demanding that NYCPS Chancellor Banks remedy policies and practices that has led to routine censorship and punishment of pro-Palestine voices in schools.
(NEW YORK, NY, 6/10/2024) - CAIR-NY, with NYCLU and AALDEF, sent a letter demanding that NYCPS Chancellor Banks remedy policies and practices that has led to routine censorship and punishment of pro-Palestine voices in schools.
CAIR-NY, along with the NYCLU and AALDEF today released a letter to Chancellor Banks addressing the need to correct misleading guidance issued to educators regarding permissible political expression in NYC public schools. In the letter, the civil rights organizations also conveyed their concerns on the disparity of treatment experienced by teachers and students who express Pro-Palestine solidarity.
CAIR-NY's Supervising Attorney, Lamya Agarwala, stated:
“Chancellor Banks has a responsibility to protect the true safety of students and teachers and ensure that no one is discriminated against because of their views on Palestine or who they are. We join our fellow civil rights partners in calling on Chancellor Banks to revisit his guidance to schools and call for an end to the unwarranted censorship and punishment.”
Emma Hulse, Skadden Fellow at the NYCLU said:
“NYCPS is systematically targeting and censoring speech in support of Palestinian rights, potentially violating the First Amendment rights of students and staff.
“Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students and educators are facing undue harassment, investigation, and discipline for expressing their political views — creating a harmful atmosphere where many young people and teachers no longer feel welcome in their own classrooms. As the leader of the nation’s largest and most diverse public school system, Chancellor Banks should be upholding core educational values of free expression, not chilling speech or disseminating policy that encourages censorship.”
Jane Shim, director of AALDEF’s Stop Asian Hate Project stated:
“We are troubled to see New York City schools continue the same pattern of unfair treatment towards students and teachers expressing support and sympathy for Palestinians that we have seen at schools and universities around the country over the past several months,
“The discrimination against Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian people is reminiscent of the post 9/11 period, when these communities were unfairly subjected to government surveillance. Chancellor Banks has a responsibility to treat all students and teachers equally, regardless of who they are.”
Read The Letter Here:
If you have experienced discrimination or violence during an arrest at a protest, please contact CAIR-NY by filling out an incident report on our website: https://www.cair-ny.org/report-incident.
CAIR-NY's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-NY es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT:
Lamya Agarwala, Esq., Supervising Attorney, LAgarwala@cair.com;
Saira Amar, MPA, CAIR-NY, Communications Coordinator, SAmar@cair.com
NYCLU Media, 212-607-3360, media@nyclu.org