Parents of young children at a Michigan school are objecting against its decision to vote on a resolution calling for Israel-Gaza ceasefire.
The school board at Ann Arbor Public Schools is set to vote on the resolution today despite parents, taxpayers and community members demanding an immediate withdrawal.
The resolution states that it is ‘important for educational institutions to acknowledge global events and their impact on students, staff, and families, especially those from affected regions.’
It also asks that teachers in the school’s district begin to conduct ‘informed and respectful dialogue about the conflict, aiming to foster a deeper understanding among students and staff’.
Apart from demanding a ‘bilateral ceasefire’, the resolution also condemns Islamophobia and antisemitism.
The school board at Ann Arbor Public Schools is set to vote on the resolution today despite parents, taxpayers and community members demanding an immediate withdrawal
One of the supportive members is the board president, Rima Mohammad who said that the cease-fire resolution was ‘symbolic’
Jeff Gaynor, a retired social studies teacher who wrote his own curriculum on Israeli-Palestinian issues said ‘he trusted educators to not venture beyond their expertise’
Three members of the board said they support the cease-fire resolution, two remain skeptical and the remaining two said they need more time to hear from constituents at the previous meeting.
One of the supportive members is the board president, Rima Mohammad who said that the cease-fire resolution was ‘symbolic.’
She said: ‘The Israel-Gaza war is definitely something we have to address, especially because I do believe the ongoing conflict abroad is leading to an increase in racism and discrimination locally. The Arabs, Muslims, Jews, Palestinians, Israelis are all hurting.’
One of the board’s Jewish members also supports the resolution.
Jeff Gaynor, a retired social studies teacher who wrote his own curriculum on Israeli-Palestinian issues said ‘he trusted educators to not venture beyond their expertise’.
Parents such as Sharon Sorkin disagree with the board and say that the school has no role in this. Sorkin said: ‘And what I’ve seen is that what this board has done this far and it certainly has not created peace in our community. It has actually created a lot of unrest in our community’
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But parents such as Sharon Sorkin disagree with the board and say that the school has no role in this.
She said: ‘We all want to heal and we all want peace. But I don’t believe that a resolution that a local school board passes is going to create peace in the Middle East.
‘And what I’ve seen is that what this board has done this far and it certainly has not created peace in our community. It has actually created a lot of unrest in our community.
‘My hope is that we can convince the board no to move forward with it and maybe our community can find its own peace.’
The petition which was launched by Ann Arbor constituents states that the ‘board is not the appropriate forum for addressing these international and humanitarian crises’.
This comes a month after the University of Michigan prevented student government from voting on several cease-fire statements. The students launched an elaborate pro-Palestine protest in response
It also demand that they return to prioritizing education rather than involve itself in global issues.
The petition clarifies that the proposed resolution is out of the board’s scope, creates a dangerous precedent, divisive and is unnecessarily creating a burden on students and teachers.
This comes a month after the University of Michigan prevented student government from voting on several cease-fire statements. The students launched an elaborate pro-Palestine protest in response.
The petition currently has 1,843 signatures out of its goal of 2,500