Lawsuit calls out school and teachers for praising Islam and smearing Judaism

Contact: Attorney Karen Hurvitz
HurvitzLaw@comcast.net

RESIDENTS NAME MORE DEFENDANTS AND EXPAND DISCRIMINATION AND INDOCTRINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS PUBLIC-SCHOOL OFFICIALS AND TEACHERS

Also Add Claim That Pro-Islam Bias In Curriculum Violates First Amendment

NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS – On March 28, 2019, Newton residents amended their lawsuit against the Newton School Committee, Superintendent of Schools David Fleishman, the principals of the Newton high schools, and certain high-school history teachers.

In this latest action, more teachers were named as Defendants, and additional claims were added with supporting exhibits further demonstrating how students are influenced to view Islam favorably at the expense of Judaism and Christianity – a clear violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.

The suit asks the Court to compel the educators to stop discriminating against students and indoctrinating them with anti-Semitism, bigotry against Israel, and Islamist religious dogma as part of the high-school history curriculum.

In addition to the First Amendment claims, Plaintiffs allege that Newton Public Schools (NPS) have deliberately failed and refused to comply with the Equal Rights Amendment of the Massachusetts Constitution, with the Massachusetts Student Anti-Discrimination Act, and with civil rights regulations that require schools, through their curricula, to encourage respect for the human and civil rights of all individuals regardless of race, identity, religion, color, sex, and national origin.

The massively documented 495-page legal complaint, available here, details the history of Newton residents’ efforts to have NPS address and correct the factually flawed teaching. Evidence described in the complaint reveals how Newton instructors teach that Jews and Christians deliberately forged their holy texts to contradict the Muslim Quran; that Zionism has “little connection” to Jewish history in “Palestine;” that the Jews took advantage of the Holocaust to gain sympathy for Zionism at the expense of the “Arab plight;” and that the Israelis treat the Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews.

Plaintiffs claim that NPS courses that require students to simulate a pilgrimage to Mecca, read and analyze one verse from the Quran, and memorize, recite and explain three Islamic religious proverbs violate the First Amendment’s free exercise/establishment of religion clause.

Despite significant community concerns, scholarly documentation of anti-Jewish bias, and formal citizen requests for remedial action, Defendants have categorically and repeatedly refused to remedy the teaching of false and hateful stereotypes about Israel, Israelis, and the Jewish people. They have also repeatedly refused to even read the analyses of the curriculum presented to them.

Defendants have issued public statements that the taxpayers are engaging in scare tactics and that their claims are baseless, in spite of the fact that Newton students themselves have complained to the School Committee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GROOLfySAs

Defendants have publicly described the Newton residents and Jewish community organizations who have expressed concerns about the curriculum bias as “hate groups” and “outside groups” with a “hateful agenda,” engaged in “unprincipled behavior,” through “baseless accusations without any evidence, without any proof.” School Committee Chairwoman Ruth Goldman has falsely stated that her Committee has no authority over curriculum.

Karen Hurvitz, attorney for the taxpayers, stated that her clients are not asking for any money damages, even though Defendants have certainly caused years of incalculable damage by their insistence on teaching impressionable students with materials that slander Israel and Jews, and whitewash Islam.

“Residents here are merely asking NPS to perform their duties and obey the law, which requires that their curriculum encourage respect for all people, and not promote any religion” says Attorney Hurvitz. “Education should be based on fact, not on stereotypes, propaganda, or religious indoctrination.”