As Montgomery County school board president Karla Silvestre stepped away from a microphone Wednesday after being questioned by congressional lawmakers, a handful of Jewish students rushed to talk to her.
“I asked her, ‘What are you doing to keep us safe? Really?’” said Kobie Talmoud, a junior at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring. “She didn’t really respond. She was ushered out by her staff.” Talmoud said he was given her email to contact her later.
In a text message Thursday night, Silvestre confirmed she spoke to some students who shared concerns after the meeting, and offered to meet with them to learn more. She added that “the work continues to make our students feel safe and welcome in our schools.”
“I’m glad we could speak about the importance of education in confronting antisemitism and other forms of hate,” she wrote.
The Montgomery leader appeared at Wednesday’s two-hour hearing alongside schools chiefs from Berkeley, Calif., and New York City, and they were grilled by lawmakers over their districts’ record in confronting antisemitism, especially in the months since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and the resulting war.
Schools across the country, including in the D.C. area, also have fielded concerns and federal scrutiny over alleged Islamophobia and other bias in recent months.
Silvestre was not questioned as often as her co-panelists during the hearing hosted by a House subcommittee, disappointing some Montgomery students who say they were looking to gain a sense of justice from the testimony.
The hearing occurred during a high point of upheaval in the Montgomery school system. Its superintendent is an interim who has only served in the role for a few months. Several other school administrators charged with handling student issues are either in an acting or interim role. And a department that looks into employee complaints is undergoing reform after facing scrutiny on how the school system promoted a principal under investigation for sexual harassment.
Silvestre told lawmakers that the school system is rolling out a hate-bias training for all staff this summer and has strengthened policies over antisemitism, hate and racist behavior. In March, school officials presented an action plan on addressing hate incidents, which included goals to create professional development courses on understanding different students’ identities and streamlining its reporting processes for hate incidents. Last year, it toughened penalties for students who committed hateful acts.
She faced the most questions from Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), who chairs the House Education Committee. Foxx asked how long an average investigation takes.
“I don’t have an exact number of weeks that it takes,” Silvestre replied. “But I believe we do a very thorough job so we can take as long that is as needed to investigate.”
“Are the victims always notified of the results?” Foxx asked.
“The victims are notified that an action has been taken but not specifics of what consequence was doled out,” Silvestre said.
Foxx continued to ask if the school system notifies people when an investigation is complete. Silvestre said the school system is “working on improving our communications” so victims get more clarity on an investigation’s outcome.
After the hearing, students who heard the testimony said they understand that Silvestre may not have known all the details about some alleged antisemitic incidents in the district because she had not spearheaded such discussions. Most of the response was led by Monifa B. McKnight, who stepped down as the school system’s superintendent in February amid scrutiny over her administration’s handling of a principal accused of sexual harassment. Currently, the district is led by interim schools superintendent Monique Felder, who has been in the post for about three months.
“Obviously it would have been better if our superintendent was there, but our superintendent is too new to be held accountable for the things that MCPS has done,” said Darci Rochkind, a senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. “In an ideal world Dr. McKnight would be there to be accountable for her policies, but she’s not there anymore.”
Last school year, the school system received a report of a hate incident every three days. That rate increased this school year to three reports each day, according to data reviewed by the school board in March. The reports include accounts of swastikas drawn on desks and teachers making antisemitic comments in the classroom, according to a monthly log from the county police department that documents hate incidents.
Most recently, the school system placed at least four teachers on administrative leave amid accusations that they made antisemitic comments online. School officials investigated the complaints and have since reinstated the teachers.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) asked if any teachers have been fired for antisemitic actions. She said no but that some have been disciplined. Silvestre did not name the teachers.
Three teachers placed on leave are suing the school system over alleged violations of First Amendment rights. This week, lawyers representing the system said they intend to ask a court to dismiss the case, arguing that “any constitutional interests they may possibly have do not outweigh the expected and actual disruptions that [the teachers] concede their speech caused at their respective public schools.”
Several of these incidents — including the teachers’ reinstatement — were mentioned in a complaint filed with the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights that alleges the school system violated Jewish students’ rights under Title VI, a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin.
Talmoud is one of the students whose experiences are referenced in the complaint.
He said he plans to follow up with Silvestre to talk about the antisemitism he has encountered as a student. He recalled an incident in which he wore a kippah in middle school and another student directed profanity at him. But he said he wasn’t sure what institutional changes he would like to see before he graduates from high school next year.
“I’ve never thought about it because, you know, I’ve just accepted antisemitism is my reality,” said Talmoud, 16. “Because that’s all I’ve known since I’ve been in public school.”
This story was updated with responses from Montgomery County Board of Education President Karla Silvestre.
