A Brooklyn middle school principal sent out an email to staff this week, urging them to seek Palestinian Liberation and demand government sanctions against Israel, prompting an investigation.
Amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas terrorists, which has since resulted in a ceasefire, Charles O. Dewey Middle School 136 Principal Amanda Bueno told staff in an email entitled, “Day of Action in Solidarity with The Palestinian Uprising & General Strike," that if they are in "absolute horror" from watching the news, they are "not alone."
You can take action today by protesting, attending a vigil, making a public commitment to Palestinian Liberation, signing a petition, or calling your government officials to place sanctions on Isreal. The time is now to take a stand for those impacted by state-sanctioned violence and crimes against the humanity of the most vulnerable in our world. (sic)
At the end of the email, obtained by the New York Post, Bueno included links for teaching students about Palestine. One resource was the “Teach Palestine” website and another was an article about Rep. Rashida Tlaib's (D-MI) tweet, criticizing the Israeli raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.
A list of hashtags was provided in the email as well, which included #GazaUnderAttack, #MissingAndMurderedIndigenousRelatives and #StopAAPIHate.
Bueno's call to action at the end of the email read:
As US governments push to restrict anti-racist education in several states, we must keep pushing forward! Sign petitions, call your state officials, share on social media, divest your funds from companies that invest in human rights violations, talk to your family and friends about what is happening, send your donations, and offer space for racial healing and truth-telling in your classrooms. Until these hashtags are no longer necessary, we must continue to create the world every person deserves. Keep fighting for that world.
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A Jewish staff member told The Post that they were shocked after reading the email and that they felt targeted.
These resources she provided, it’s propaganda. There was nothing in the email about Hamas rockets targeting innocent Israeli civilians.
Lawyer Inna Vernikov sent a letter to the Department of Education calling for Bueno to be disciplined for her actions. She said that New York law does not permit public employees to engage in political activities.
Vernikov also said she knew MS 136 employees with close family members inIsrael.
Nathaniel Steyer, a spokesman for the Department of Education told The Post:
Schools are not public forums for purposes of political expression, and staff may not use DOE resources in the furtherance of personal or political activities.
Steyer said the incident is being addressed internally and that it is under investigation.
Bueno did not respond to a request for comment from Townhall.
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