California’s Jewish parents have launched a groundbreaking lawsuit against the state’s education system, alleging widespread anti-Semitism in public schools that officials have failed to address despite numerous complaints.

Filed Thursday against the California State Board of Education, the Department of Education, and state superintendent Tony Thurmond, the lawsuit claims Jewish students face systematic discrimination and harassment. According to documents shared with the Washington Free Beacon, schools have become “anti-Semitic cesspools” where “Jewish students are segregated and pulled out of classes so that teachers can spew anti-Israel and anti-Semitic propaganda without pushback.”

The legal action, led by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and advocacy group StandWithUs, marks the first time a statewide educational system has been sued over pervasive anti-Semitic harassment, potentially setting a precedent for similar cases in other states.

Parents describe disturbing incidents across California schools. In one case, a teacher allegedly punished a 12-year-old student “because he was a Jew who dared to wear Jewish and Israeli symbols.” Another incident involved a ninth-grade art teacher organizing a walkout “in support of Palestine” featuring chants of “f— the Jews.” When one parent raised concerns at a school board meeting, she was reportedly mocked and called a “Zionist Nazi bitch.”

The lawsuit contends that anti-Semitism in California schools has intensified since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. It cites numerous examples of institutional failures, including the San Francisco teachers’ union endorsing curriculum claiming many anti-Semitism allegations are “fabricated,” and Berkeley’s public school system facing federal complaints over escalating incidents culminating in hallway chants of “kill the Jews.”

While the California State Legislature acknowledged the surge in anti-Semitic discrimination in schools in late 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom faces criticism for his response to related incidents. State Superintendent Thurmond, currently running for governor though polling at just 2% in the primary, is specifically named in the lawsuit.

The complaint details the experiences of several families, including Melissa Alexander, whose 12-year-old son faced punishment for wearing clothing and a Star of David necklace that identified him as Jewish. The teacher allegedly “openly proclaimed that Zionists are the enemy” and maintained “a public social media account filled with virulently anti-Semitic and anti-Israel content.” When Alexander reported the mistreatment, school administrators allegedly “actively chose to ignore it” and moved her son to new classes mid-year.

At Berkeley High School, Ilana Pearlman’s ninth-grade son reportedly endured anti-Israel rhetoric from an art teacher who showcased artwork depicting “barbed wire fences in the shape of a Star of David with a giant fist punching through it.” After Pearlman reported this behavior, administrators allegedly removed her son from class, isolating him in the library and student health center rather than addressing the teacher’s conduct.

Even at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, named after a Jewish journalist killed by Islamists in 2002, Dawn and Michael Rosenthal’s son allegedly faced pro-Hamas activism from his honors chemistry teacher. After complaints, the school reportedly removed their son from class and forced him to take a remote chemistry course, adding “additional academic burdens to accommodate his chemistry teacher’s anti-Semitism.”

The lawsuit also highlights controversial teaching materials, including a kindergarten through third-grade curriculum featuring a book that defines “Intifada” merely as “rising up for what is right.”

Neither the California Department of Education nor the State Board of Education responded to requests for comment on the case, which alleges violations of California’s constitution and federal and state civil rights laws.