Fear and frustrations voiced at CPS panel

JUF hosted a townhall meeting with Chicago Public Schools to provide Jewish parents an opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns around the spike in antisemitic incidents at many of their children’s schools. Despite the frigid weather, the mood inside Temple Sholom of Chicago’s sanctuary eventually turned heated.

The CPS panel consisted of: Camie C. Pratt, Chief Title IX Officer; Elizabeth Mendoza Browne, Deputy Chief; Brian Thompson, Director of Student Protections; and Jadine Chou, Chief of Safety and Security.

Shoshanah Conover, Senior Rabbi of Temple Shalom, and also a CPS parent, delivered opening remarks.

“Here in Chicago and across America, it has been a very scary and difficult time for us,” she said, as antisemitic incidents already were increasing prior to the October 7 attack. “We have heard from our students that they are not feeling safe, they are not feeling seen, and they don’t know who to turn to in order to get the support that they need.”

With 100 parents in attendance-along with Ald. Debra Silverstein, State Sen. Sara Feigenholz, Esme Borrero from 44th Ward Ald. Bennett Lawson’s office, and Erica Reardon from Rep. Mike Quigley’s office-the panel discussed procedures for making reports to the Office of Student Protections and Office of School Safety and Security, confidentiality in reporting and investigations, the ways students are supported following a report, student training, and the CPS Whole School Safety Framework.

“I, myself, am Jewish and have family living in Israel, so I am part of the same community as you,” Pratt said. “There are Jewish teachers and other Jewish folks in leadership at CPS, so it’s not just the parents who are experiencing this. We are all experiencing this together. It really takes all of us to come together to share that story of American Jewish life so that students understand our culture.”

Following the school officials’ presentation, parents asked many questions. An incident of swastika in a school bathroom was repeatedly referenced by parents as well as their overall disappointment with how these incidents were handled by CPS administration.

“It’s not just about the swastika,” explained Jane Charney, Assistant Vice President, Local Government Affairs at JUF. “As we face 62% of religion-based hate crimes in the U.S., we want it to be acknowledged that our community is under threat. We want schools to acknowledge that it wasn’t just an incident that took place. We want there to be an acknowledgement that it was an antisemitic incident.

“As we have seen the rise in cases of antisemitism, bullying, and harassment both within schools and other environments, what we also see is a lack of understanding of who Jews are and a lack of understanding of the American Jewish experience,” added Charney, who is also a CPS parent.

Following October 7, Charney-alongside her colleagues in JUF’s Campus Affairs department and fellow CPS parents-met with senior member of CPS to discuss how schools approach antisemitism. She encourages parents to channel their dissatisfaction into inspiring meaningful change. Additional community meetings and townhalls-discussing curriculum and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-are in the works.

“There are a lot of cultures at CPS, so it’s very important that all of our students feel comfortable and safe,” Pratt said. “We certainly do not have all of the answers, but we are here and trying to make that happen for our students.”

“Empathy and equity are not pie- there is enough for everyone,” Charney asserted.

To access resources to equip your children with tools for advocating as American Jews and for Israel, visit juf.org/stopantisemitism.