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Philadelphia School District Urged to Address Teacher Political Pressure

Date: February 3, 2026
Category: K-12, Legal, News
Regions: Mid-Atlantic, USA

Philadelphia School District Urged to Address Teacher Political Pressure

StandWithUs and partner organizations call for enforcement of laws protecting students from improper political influence by educators.

StandWithUs sent a legal letter with the North American Values Institute (NAVI), the Lawfare Project, National Jewish Advocacy Center (NJAC), the Deborah Project and EndJewHatred (EJH) to the Philadelphia School District urging them to investigate following an anti-Zionist event organized by Philadelphia teachers for K-12 staff, students and parents.

The letter asks the District’s Superintendent and Legal Counsel to remind K-12 teachers of the legal framework governing teacher speech, conduct and threats to students’ rights. It clarifies that teachers may not actively impose their personal views on students or present one-sided information about controversial issues. The letter requests that the District investigate whether any of its teachers’ conduct here violated students’ rights.

StandWithUs (SWU) is a 24-year-old international non-partisan education organization that inspires people of all ages about Israel, challenges misinformation and fights against antisemitism.

StandWithUs empowers people around the world to educate others through social media, print and digital materials in different languages, through educational programs and conferences, weekly newsletters, data and analytics, and missions to Israel.

It takes legal action through StandWithUs Saidoff Law. It empowers hundreds of student leaders annually through its college Fellowship and high school Internship. SWU provides schools and educators with vital tools through its IsraelLINK middle school program, Holocaust Education Center, and K-12 Fairness Center.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Los Angeles, StandWithUs has chapters throughout the U.S., Israel, Canada, the UK, Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands, Australia and South Africa. 

For the last fourteen years, StandWithUs has consistently received the highest possible ratings from Charity Navigator and GuideStar, two charity watchdog groups that assess over a million charities in the United States. This puts StandWithUs in the top 3% of charities ranked for their transparency and accountability.

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