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Community voices concerns about antisemitism; Newport‑Mesa details inclusion steps
Summary
Several community members urged the district to address rising antisemitism in schools and requested balanced instruction on the Israeli—12 Palestinian conflict; district leaders described partnerships with the OC Jewish Federation, student-to-student programming, Museum of Tolerance visits and an upcoming contract to support curricular units.
Multiple community members on Wednesday told the Newport‑Mesa Unified School District board they have observed rising antisemitism and urged proactive measures to protect students and ensure balanced classroom discussion of sensitive global issues.
Sue Harshman, a parent and member of the Jewish community, told trustees she had heard troubling stories about harassment and one‑sided activism in neighboring districts and urged Newport‑Mesa to "lead by example" in proactively addressing hate and ensuring respectful, balanced dialogue when students discuss the Israeli‑Palestinian conflict.
Other speakers described personal or community experiences. Stephanie Abital recommended local resources for schools, including the Holocaust Memorial Center, a student‑to‑student speaker program funded by the Jewish Federation, and a community play called Survivor. "We just don't want this to happen to other students," Abital said, recounting a serious antisemitic incident her child experienced in sixth grade.
Superintendent Smith responded by acknowledging the need for growth and listing current efforts: a new bike safety strategic plan (addressing separate public comments), the district's inclusion councils, partnerships with the OC Jewish Federation, student‑to‑student presentations at some sites, and Museum of Tolerance visits for eleventh graders at at least one school. Smith said the district convened resident committees to craft an approach to ethnic studies and that the board had placed curricular support on the agenda in the form of a contract to provide teacher support for curricular units.
Smith also noted existing local work: "We're bringing these resources to the district because we agree with you," and stressed that the district is taking a deliberate, community‑informed approach to curriculum and training rather than buying an off‑the‑shelf product.
Trustees thanked speakers and asked staff to continue scaling programs that show early success, while noting scalability challenges for student‑led presentations and staffing constraints for broader rollout.
No board action was taken directly from public comment; trustees and staff framed several steps for follow up, including expanding student‑to‑student offerings and clarifying the scope of the forthcoming curricular support contract.
