Lawsuit Accuses Santa Ana Unified of Adopting Antisemitic Curriculum

Three Jewish advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit against the Santa Ana Unified School District over new Ethnic Studies curriculum, which they call antisemitic. The plaintiffs also allege the school board violated the Brown Act by engaging in “closed-door discussions” about the material, ultimately approving the curriculum without input from the Jewish community. Furthermore, they say the school board failed to intervene when Jewish speakers were heckled by antisemitic attendees at two meetings held in June.

The plaintiffs wrote the following about the subject material in their lawsuit:

Based on the materials available to the public (and it is unclear whether this is everything), at least five ethnic studies courses approved by the SAUSD Board, including ethnic studies courses in World History, English, and World Geography, include one-sided anti-Israel screeds and propaganda that teaches students—falsely—that Israel is an illegitimate, “settler colonial,” “racist” country that “stole” land from a pre-existing country called Palestine and engages in unprovoked warfare against Palestinian Arabs.

When the school board was made aware of objections from the Jewish community, members turned to activist groups with a history of antisemitism for guidance, the suit further alleges.

Read the lawsuit here.