School director and librarian urges media literacy after online controversy over Hammurabi’s code homework

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — During the public-comment portion of the Bethlehem Area School District meeting on Jan. 27, School Director Raya Levy, who also identified herself as a librarian, urged the district and community to respond to an online controversy over a homework item referencing Hammurabi’s Code by emphasizing media literacy and community conversation rather than online denigration.

Levy said she reviewed the posted material and examined the historical context, noting that Hammurabi’s Code dates to ancient Babylon and contains language (including references to "master" and "slave") that requires critical classroom discussion. "If these things are bothering us, let's have a community courageous conversation," Levy said, and she asked residents to contact the district or school principal rather than attacking an individual teacher online.

Why it matters: Levy framed the incident as an example of misinformation and the need for information-literacy skills among students and community members. She also raised broader concerns about efforts to shift public funding to private schools and the potential consequences for students with disabilities.

Key points from Levy's comments - Media literacy: Levy said she teaches information literacy and urged careful research before denigrating teachers or materials online; she offered to share her research work sheet with the board. - Historical context: She noted the homework referred to Hammurabi’s Code (ancient Babylon) and stressed examining the full historical context when encountering loaded terms such as "master" and "slave." - Public education funding: Levy raised concerns (citing an article she read) about money moving from public to private or religious schools via voucher proposals and said that a large share of students with disabilities attend public schools and could be harmed by funding shifts.

Context and follow-up Levy described available citations and said she can share a works-cited sheet with the board. She urged community members to bring concerns to district officials and to favor dialogue over online punishment of individual teachers.

Ending Levy closed by urging the board and community to pursue informed, collective conversation; she left the record with an offer to provide research materials to the district.