Miami-Dade to search for antisemitism in school materials

The Miami-Dade County School Board yesterday approved an initiative to review whether district-approved curriculum contains examples of antisemitism.

The big picture: The move comes shortly after the state's public universities were ordered to review all college course materials for antisemitic content or "anti-Israeli bias."

• Gov. Ron DeSantis has promised to be the nation's most pro-Israel governor .

State of play: Board Vice Chair Monica Colucci, who proposed the measure, made no mention of the state's directive to higher education when it was first discussed last week. (The item passed Tuesday without additional discussion.)

• But the board, which has become decisively conservative since four DeSantis-aligned members joined, has been aligned with the state's overhaul of the public education system.
• Most of the changes have targeted what conservative view as left-leaning ideologies.

Catch up quick: The board was first to consider implementing a classical education model .

• It prompted a state-wide directive from Education Commissioner Manny Diaz to review curriculum for social-emotional learning .
• And it could become one of the first districts to add school chaplain programs .

The fine print: The proposal also calls for the creation of an interfaith task group and to train staff on how to discuss related issues in the classroom.

What they're saying: At Tuesday's meeting, a handful of speakers praised the board's action, including Ayellet Black the Deputy Consul General of Israel in Miami, who said the measure underscored the "strong bond" between Israel and Florida.

• Enid Weisman, former school board member and former Aventura mayor, said the board was "on the right side of history and on the right side of protecting students."

The other side: At the meeting last week, board member Luisa Santos emphasized the measure's inclusivity.

• She explained many different communities have experienced a rise in hate crimes and the board must prevent the targeting of any group, whether it be antisemitism or Islamophobia.

What's next: The proposal was a feasibility study, meaning staff still needs to determine if creating the interfaith task group is possible. The findings are expected to come back before the board in October.