Community speakers press Cobb County schools over alleged antisemitic classroom materials; superintendent opens investigation

At the Cobb County School District board meeting on March 20, a series of parents and students told trustees that classroom materials and slides they described as biased or antisemitic have persisted in district courseware and library resources, and they urged the district to act.

The speakers said the district’s course library and teacher-uploaded materials — identified in comments as CTLS materials and individual lesson slides — included factual omissions or images they viewed as promoting antisemitic narratives. They asked the board for a consistent countywide vetting process and swift corrective steps to protect Jewish students.

Laura Ziz, a parent who addressed the board, said she had previously raised concerns and found no correction: "I asked to review the replacement curriculum, and I was told, no." Mindy Milinkowski, who described reviewing unapproved course materials dating to 2020, said the failure to remove inaccurate materials had real-world consequences: "When teachers spread misinformation unchecked, hate follows." Ninth-grader Samantha Epstein described a slide shown in her AP human geography class that she said depicted an Israeli Defense Forces soldier sweeping a broom labeled "ethnic cleansing" over Palestinian bodies and said, "I'm the only Jewish student in my class and immediately felt uncomfortable." Leora Blumberg and other speakers recounted incidents including swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti at Cobb schools.

Superintendent Mr. Bridal responded during the board meeting that he had personally initiated a review of how at least some disciplinary or personnel decisions were handled and that the review has "now resulted in an investigation." He also told the room, "Antisemitism will not be tolerated in any form, period," and said the district would reintroduce and expand educational sessions and town halls, including trainings the superintendent described as part of broader school safety and community education efforts.

Speakers urged several remedies: limit or prohibit individual teachers from uploading unvetted materials to the district system, require county-level vetting and tagging of resources to standards, and provide staff training on identifying and addressing antisemitism. Mindy Milinkowski asked that when mistakes occur, "students must be retaught the correct information, showing them that when adults make mistakes, they take responsibility." Several student speakers and parents also requested clearer communications to families about what curricular materials are used and a transparent review process.

The board did not take a formal vote on curriculum vetting or revisions at the March 20 meeting. The superintendent said he would report back on the investigation and any follow-up actions at the investigation’s conclusion and announced plans for a series of educational town halls; details, he said, would be shared on district channels.

The public comment period at the meeting also included other topics (special education survey access, digital learning days and personnel concerns) but the remarks about unvetted learning materials and antisemitism prompted the superintendent’s most detailed public response.

Ending: The district’s next steps, as stated by the superintendent, include the ongoing investigation and forthcoming community trainings and town halls; the superintendent said he will provide a formal report when the investigation concludes.