The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights announced on Aug. 7 that it is launching an investigation into Baltimore City Public Schools over allegations of unchecked antisemitism in the school system.
The Anti-Defamation League filed a complaint with the DOE’s Office of Civil Rights on July 30 alleging “egregious and persistent discrimination and harassment” of Jewish students at the hands of their fellow students and teachers.
“The allegations that Baltimore City Public Schools tolerate virulent Nazi-inspired anti-Semitic harassment of its Jewish students is at once appalling and infuriating,” said Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, in an OCR press release.
“When a teacher allegedly directs a Nazi salute toward a Jewish student, or non-Jewish students harass their Jewish contemporaries by saying ‘all Jews should die,’ we are not simply talking about contemptible bullying; we are talking about a shocking abdication of educator responsibility that constitutes unlawful anti-Semitic harassment under Title VI,” he added.
BCPS issued a statement in response to the investigation, stating that city schools are “committed to fostering a culture of tolerance, respect, and civility.”
The statement addresses the accusations outlined in the complaint and an antisemitic incident that took place during the Board of School Commissioners meeting on July 22.
The school system said that after the July 22 incident, a memo was issued outlining its current and planned response to the antisemitic and racist interruption that occurred.
Additionally, it acknowledged further concerns that were raised by the ADL in the OCR complaint, which came after the outlined response regarding the antisemitic bullying and harassment.
BCPS said it is prepared to investigate future concerns reported through its reporting process.
“City Schools stands in solidarity with our Jewish community and with all who seek to create safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environments,” BCPS said in its statement. “We have condemned hateful behavior and taken action to hold students and staff accountable when our values and policies are violated.”
Now, the OCR will begin its investigation into the alleged incidents and the actions of the school system in responding to complaints from students and parents to see if the students were subjected to discrimination based on national origin.
For an institution to be in violation of Title VI, the recipient of federal funds must be found to have a hostile environment based on race, color or national origin; to have noticed that a hostile environment existed; and to have failed to take quick and effective action to eliminate and prevent the hostile environment.
If the investigation finds that the school system was in violation, they will likely contact the school system and see if it is interested in negotiating a voluntary resolution agreement to address the issues OCR found during its investigation.
The resolution agreement typically “describes specific remedial action that the recipient will undertake to address the area(s) of noncompliance identified by OCR.
The terms and obligations of the resolution agreement, if fully performed, will remedy the identified violation(s) in compliance with applicable civil rights law(s),” according to the OCR website.
The OCR then continues to monitor the progress of the offending party and if it dos not correct the violations it can have federal funding suspended or terminated, or the case referred to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Howard County Public Schools and Johns Hopkins University have already agreed to resolution agreements with the OCR in 2025.
The OCR’s database only lists 65 resolutions this year, far behind previous years, according to the Associated Press, putting the OCR on track to having less than half the number of resolutions compared to last year.
Previous investigations into local educational organizations have taken anywhere from five to 11 months, but investigation times may increase with this case as the Trump administration has worked to sharply reduce the workforce at the Department of Education, with half of the OCR staff being laid off in March 2025.
As the investigation begins, Jewish leaders are hoping for a resolution to the case that leaves Jewish students protected and feeling comfortable in their educational communities.
“If true, these allegations confirm a disturbing trend: too many of our nation’s educational institutions are failing American students by inculcating in them a loathing for their own country and fellow citizens and a tolerance and acceptance for a deeply destructive ancient hatred,” Trainor said in the press release. “The Trump-McMahon Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights will vigorously investigate this matter and ensure American Jewish students can learn and flourish in an environment free from unlawful discrimination.”
