Lawsuit Uncovers Anti-Semitism and Chicanery by Santa Ana Unified School Officials Crafting Ethnic Studies Curriculum

Tyrannical and conniving Jews clearly occupy the feverish imagination of many officials of the Santa Ana Unified School District in Orange County.

In conversations with her compatriots one School official has repeatedly deemed Jews oppressive and racist. And now, in comments to the California Globe, the District’s spokesman even fancied a conspiracy between Jewish organizations and California Congresswoman Michelle Steel (R-45) to have the District investigated by the federal government for possible civil rights violations over its inveterate anti-Semitism.

This prompted an angry rebuke from Steel’s spokesman, who accused the School District of trafficking in anti-Semitic tropes.

The backdrop: this August, several Jewish organizations suing the Santa Ana Unified School District for secretly approving an anti-Semitism riddled ethnic studies curriculum in violation of state laws uncovered evidence of anti-Semitism and chicanery by the school officials crafting  the curriculum.  In an amended complaint to a lawsuit originally filed in September 2023 they cited a torrent of anti-Semitism by members of an Ethnic Studies Steering Committee that was tasked by the School board with creating a  state-mandated ethnic studies course.

The lawsuit says the Steering Committee, determined to avoid feedback from the Jewish community, held meetings in secret in violation of California’s open meetings law.  And that the end result was a biased curriculum infused with the anti-Semitism of Committee members that depicts Israel as an oppressive colonialist power.

One particularly vulgar member of the Ethnic Studies Steering Committee, a curriculum specialist named Roselinn Lee referred to a Jewish Steering Committee member as a “colonized Jewish mind” and a “fucking baby” for expressing concerns about anti-Semitism. She also derided local Jewish leaders as “racist zionists.”

Another Committee member suggested holding meetings on a Jewish holiday so Jews could not attend. “We may need to use Passover to get new courses approved.”

Aghast at all the anti-Semitism in the amended complaint that was widely reported–although only the California Globe identified Lee by name–Congresswoman Steel decided to take action. Steel told the California Globe that, “When I first heard about this, my original reaction was sadness that Jewish students in Southern California could face discrimination from the very educators they look to for guidance. Then, I was determined to hold Santa Ana officials accountable for pushing a curriculum developed with prejudiced motives by requesting a federal civil rights investigation.”

“I called on the Biden Administration to open a civil rights investigation into the Santa Ana Unified School District due to the alarming pattern of antisemitism expressed by district leadership, as disclosed through news reporting and legal filings,” she explained. “I’m seeking a federal investigation to determine whether civil rights violations have taken place, so that violators can be held accountable and all students can feel welcomed and respected in the classroom.”

In her September 26 letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona  Steel  asked him to have “the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) open an investigation into these incidents to determine whether violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (Title VI) have occurred.”

Title VI bars discrimination in education based on race or national origin by educational institutions that receive  federal funds. It has been interpreted by the courts and Education Department to cover Jews.

Institutions found guilty of violating Title VI can lose federal funds. Steel demurred when asked if she thinks the School District should lose federal funding. “I would like to see results from a Department of Education investigation before commenting on potential accountability measures,” she said.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are asking the judge hearing the case to issue an injunction barring the District for now from using the curriculum that the Ethnic Studies Steering Committee created.  Asked about this motion, Steel said, “I’ll let the judge in question weigh the facts and decide, but all curriculum produced by this committee should certainly be revisited in light of the antisemitic messages and comments that have come to light.”

But she did say that Roselinn Lee and other officials caught making anti-Semitic remarks should be fired. “The antisemitic statements made by school district leadership are repulsive. Any educator responsible for using antisemitic tropes should be dismissed and no longer serving in a position funded by taxpayers.”

Steel’s  letter to the Education Secretary was co-written by House Education and  Workforce Committee Chairwoman Representative Virginia Foxx (R-VA), who has been investigating colleges and universities for indulging anti-Semitism by pro-Hamas students and hooligans.

So the letter was a natural extension of the Committee’s work. But Santa Ana School District spokesman Fermin Leal only sees the firm tentacles of Jews behind it.

Asked for comment on the letter, Leal sent this reporter a press statement that said,  “The Santa Ana Unified School District is in the middle of litigation with a coalition of Jewish advocacy groups over the adoption of our Ethnics Studies curriculum. They have engaged U.S. House Representatives Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Michelle Steel (R-CA) to assist their case by requesting that the US Department of Education open an Office of Civil Rights (OCR) investigation into purported antisemitism in the way we have adopted our model curriculum.”

How does Leal know the Jews made them do it?

Nobody reported this and Leal did not respond to an email asking for the basis of his assertion. Actually, Rachel Lerman, general counsel of the Brandeis Center, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, knew nothing about the letter until asked about it for this article.

Told about the spurious allegation, Matt Smith, communications director for Congresswoman Steel accused the School District of peddling anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. “The congressional investigation spearheaded by Rep. Steel and Chairwoman Foxx is completely independent of all parties involved, and district leadership concocting a conspiracy theory where ‘the Jews’ control our investigation is a perfect example of the clearly deep and disturbing problems at SAUSD. Contrary to the apparent beliefs of the school district, concerned citizens of all faith backgrounds can take action against antisemitism,” he emailed.

The letter was a welcome surprise for Lerman of the Brandeis Center. She told the California Globe, “Regarding Michelle Steel’s letter, we are pleased to see that Orange County representatives are paying close attention to our lawsuit, and that they appreciate – and properly condemn — the toxic nature of the antisemitism our investigation has revealed. We hope they will continue to follow the suit and bring attention to the deep-seated animus that members of the SA School Board and their colleagues bear toward members of the Jewish community.”

In her letter to the Education Secretary, Steel, citing the lawsuit, said that, “At multiple meetings spanning the spring of 2023, the SAUSD Ethnic Studies Steering Committee (Committee) took collective action that deliberately excluded members of the school district’s Jewish community from involvement in constructing an ethnic studies curriculum. This likely violated California state law. As a result, the school district decided on a curriculum that would teach young students to view Israel through the lens of colonialism. One draft piece of the curriculum analyzes the 1947 United Nations action establishing Israel as a consequence of “European imperial nation-making.”

Steel then recounted  the anti-Semitism of Roselinn Lee and other school officials.

“In developing this curriculum, members of the Committee noted in an official agenda that they would need to ‘address the Jewish questions’ after the Jewish community raised concerns about antisemitism in ethnic studies plans. Senior officials of the Committee also discussed using Jewish holidays to approve courses so Jewish community members would not be able to attend. Specifically, two senior SAUSD officials discussed this matter over text. One stated, “We may need to use Passover to get all new courses approved,” to which the other replied, “[T]hat’s actually a good strategy.” Additionally, while discussing a potential meeting with the Jewish Federation of Orange County, a leader of the Committee stated that “someone has to guide [Committee members] or they will cave in to the racist Zionists.”This alarming display of prejudice has no place in our communities, especially from the very educators entrusted with leading our public schools. “

Steel said that, “This alarming display of prejudice has no place in our communities, especially from the very educators entrusted with leading our public schools. In addition to likely violating state law, we are seriously concerned that these documented instances of antisemitism may amount to violations of Title VI.”

The Education Department press office said that Steel’s letter was referred to “the Office for Civil Rights’ San Francisco regional office to evaluate as a new complaint” for investigation.  So the Santa Ana School District is now officially under federal investigation.

The lawsuit was filed by the American Jewish Committee,  Anti-Defamation League and the Brandeis Center in California Superior Court for Orange County. The next step is a hearing on November 8 where the judge could rule on the Jewish groups’ motion to bar the District from using the ethnic studies curriculum until it can be properly approved in accordance with California’s open meetings law, the Brown Act.

Rachel Lerman has said she is cautiously optimistic that the judge will rule in her favor.