Two US teachers placed on leave over ‘lessons on genocide in Palestine’

A public charter school in the US city of Los Angeles has placed on leave two teachers for sharing “a lesson on the genocide in Palestine” with first graders, amid the ongoing Israeli aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The two teachers, who were not named in media reports, were removed from their jobs at Citizens of the World Charter School (CWC), which has classrooms at Adat Ari El Synagogue in the San Fernando Valley. The school’s principal was also placed on a two-week leave of absence.

“I did a lesson on the genocide in Palestine today w my first graders…,” said one of the teachers on Instagram. “My fav was a kid who was like ‘What if they just gave the land back to Palestine and find somewhere else to live.’”

The teacher was reported to have “punctuated the quote with a heart emoji.” The school said the second teacher also posted about the pro-Palestine lesson.

Local reports also said the school’s principal, Hye-Won Gehring, relayed complaints from her staff to the synagogue’s rabbi about Israeli flags that were hung up on the campus since October 7, after Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm into the occupied territories in response to the Israeli regime’s intensified crimes against Palestinians.

Gehring was said to be going on a two-week leave to “focus on learning how to combat anti-Semitism and engage in sensitivity training to learn from this experience.”

Gehring was forced by the school’s authorities to apologize, saying in a brief statement, “I did not understand the impact of my actions, and I am committed to creating a safe environment for all of my students, including my Jewish students, staff, and families.”

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Melissa Kaplan, the school network’s executive director, later voiced her unwavering support of the occupying Israeli regime at a press conference held outside Adat Ari El Synagogue and condemned the two pro-Palestine teachers’ remarks.

“CWC unequivocally condemns the social media posts by our staff members, including the use of the word ‘genocide’ to describe Israel’s actions,” Kaplan said.

“CWC unequivocally condemns the disturbing suggestion that Jews should leave the region, and we unequivocally condemn any lesson that creates bias or fear among our students.”

Since Israel unleashed the war against Gaza, it has embarked on an incessant bombardment of the Strip, with the Gaza-based health ministry saying that 11,078 people, including 4,506 children, have been killed, and 27,490 others have sustained injuries.

The Tel Aviv regime has also blocked access to water, food, and electricity in Gaza, plunging the coastal area into a humanitarian crisis.

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