Parkway parents and student urge board to address antisemitism, cite Missouri bill

Three members of the public raised concerns about antisemitism in Parkway schools at the April 15 board meeting, urging the board to bolster student safety and consider policy changes.

Tracy Goldstein, a Parkway Central graduate and parent, told the board that "what I am here to talk about is a very serious issue, and that is the Jew hatred that exists in our schools." She said the Missouri House and Senate had passed a bill she identified as House Bill 2061 and urged the district to review it; she described that measure as adopting "the IHRA definition of antisemitism" and sought to clarify what she said that definition does not prohibit, including criticism of Israeli government policy and academic debate. Goldstein offered to provide the board with the bill text.

Dahlia Goldstein Loraco, a Parkway Central student, described harassment she said students experience "from the time I get on the bus, from the time I get off the bus," and told board members: "You all have one major responsibility, and that is to make sure students like me are safe." She said the district must do more to create a safe learning environment and said she looks forward to required policies addressing "all forms of hate."

The public-comment period also included a separate statement about personalized learning from parent Allison Reppy, who urged funding to protect academy-style programs and cautioned that removing educators from collaborative teams could harm innovative learning models.

Board members did not vote on new hate or discipline policies during the meeting. The board chair reiterated meeting procedures for public comment and said written comments submitted to the board secretary will be distributed to members. No formal action on hate-policy adoption or related rule changes was taken; the meeting moved on to regular agenda reports and later convened in closed session.