Getty Images
Immediate Response and Reporting
When educators face antisemitic incidents in the classroom, the first priority is to stop the harm and stabilize the classroom. For guidance on incident response specifically, you can view ADL’s bias incident response guide for educators. While an immediate response is crucial, consistent with governing law and school/district policies, it’s also critical to continue proactive advocacy work – ensuring school leadership strengthens systems, policies and culture so all educators can teach safely and with dignity in a workplace.
Framing Advocacy with Leadership
Advocating to school leadership should move the conversation from an individual response to comprehensive and systemic reforms that prevent, address and repair harm. When speaking with school leadership, frame the issue as a matter of safety, compliance and/or instructional time: antisemitism undermines educator wellbeing, chills student participation, disrupts learning and impacts all students and staff who witness it. Addressing it protects staff and students and preserves equal access and instructional time.
Specific Requests to Leadership
When making specific requests to leadership regarding systemic change, you can use ADL’s Best Practices for Combating Antisemitism in Schools as your anchor – these are six policy recommendations to combat antisemitism that we urge all schools to implement. If you are in an independent school, you can use ADL’s Six Asks for Independent K-12 Schools.
Review of Four Steps to Effective Advocacy
Effective K-12 advocacy pairs evidence, a clear request, and relationship-building: start by sharing a concise, fact-grounded personal story that vividly explains how the incident or issue has impacted your safety and well being – then explicitly link that narrative to the change you’re seeking. Reinforce that story with relevant data (e.g., credible statistics from district reporting or ADL’s Audit of Antisemitic Incidents) to show your experience is part of a broader pattern, not an isolated case. Make a specific, attainable ask – who should do what, by when – and, if possible, tie it to existing district policies or priorities, documenting agreed upon actions. Close by thanking your school’s leadership for their time and any prior support to strengthen trust and shared purpose. Finally, be prepared to follow up : meaningful change may require multiple conversations with different stakeholders and persistent, polite follow through.
Tracking Progress
As you advocate, measure progress in ways that encourage reporting and trust. Look for increased awareness and confidence in reporting mechanisms among staff and students; faster administrative responses with documented follow-up and supportive measures for impacted educators; completion of staff training and demonstrated skill gains; classroom climate improvements; and reduced recurrence of incidents after restorative follow-up. By responding in the moment and then advocating for systemic change grounded in school/district policy and Title VI and Title VII obligations, teachers can help leadership build a school environment where safety and student learning are central.