The Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is demanding changes to how public schools discuss the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks after Bellevue officials warned that a planned student walkout could be offensive to Jewish classmates.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
BELLEVUE, Wash. — The Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) and an allied advocacy organization are pressing public school officials to change how they communicate with students about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks, demanding that references to the massacre of Israeli civilians also describe the date as the beginning of what the organizations call the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The dispute emerged during the third anniversary of the attacks, which killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in roughly 250 others being taken hostage. It followed an Oct. 2 communication from Bellevue School District Superintendent Kelly Aramaki warning families about antisemitic incidents and a proposed student walkout scheduled for Oct. 7 at Sammamish High School.
CAIR-WA and Washington for Peace and Justice challenged the superintendent’s message, arguing that it improperly associated Palestinian political advocacy with antisemitism and could discourage students from exercising their constitutional rights. The organizations demanded that the district correct its characterization of the planned demonstration and consult Muslim and Palestinian advocacy groups when issuing future communications about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The controversy was detailed in an Oct. 8 investigation published by RAIR Foundation, which criticized CAIR-WA’s demands as an attempt to influence how Washington schools discuss the Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza.
According to the correspondence described in the report, CAIR-WA and Washington for Peace and Justice instructed district officials that future communications should not discuss the significance of Oct. 7 solely in connection with the attack on Israel. Instead, the organizations demanded that such statements also characterize the date as the beginning of the “current genocide” in Gaza.
The demand places the district in the middle of a disagreement over historical context, political expression and the responsibilities of public schools when addressing events that have deeply affected Jewish, Muslim, Israeli and Palestinian students and their families.
The district’s original Oct. 2 communication followed the discovery of a swastika in a bathroom at Newport High School on Oct. 1. Aramaki described the incident as antisemitic and said it reinforced concerns about hostility toward Jewish students.
School administrators had also learned of an outside social media campaign promoting a walkout at Sammamish High School on the anniversary of the Hamas attacks. The material included accusations that the district and “ZIONIST MEDIA” were working against students, along with language referring to “scheming Zionist bureaucrats.”
Aramaki said officials did not believe students at Sammamish High School had created the material. Nevertheless, he warned that the rhetoric could cause harm to Jewish students and that staging a protest on the anniversary of the attacks could be interpreted as discriminatory, depending on its content and circumstances.
The district acknowledged that students hold differing opinions about international conflicts and have constitutional rights to express political views. However, Aramaki said the schools also have an obligation to address antisemitism and prevent harassment.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to confronting antisemitism in all its forms, responding promptly when it occurs, and ensuring that Jewish students, staff, and families experience safety, belonging, and respect. By honoring our students’ deeply held perspectives while encouraging them to consider how their words and actions may affect others, we can uphold the dignity of every member of our community and ensure all students are valued and supported,” Aramaki wrote.
The superintendent also explained that schools would operate on their normal schedules and that students leaving class without authorization would receive unexcused absences. The district said it would not prevent students from expressing protected political views, but participation in a walkout would not excuse them from ordinary attendance requirements.
Those policies became a central part of the dispute after CAIR-WA and Washington for Peace and Justice sent a letter challenging the district’s approach. The organizations said more than 20 families had contacted CAIR-WA expressing concerns about the superintendent’s message.
The letter argued that criticism of Zionism or Israeli government policies should not automatically be classified as antisemitism. It called on administrators to distinguish between statements targeting Jewish people because of their identity and political speech opposing Israel or supporting Palestinian rights.
CAIR-WA urged school officials to “Do not conflate hate speech with protected political speech,” while also instructing them to “Do not erase the Palestinian experience.”
The organizations disputed the suggestion that demonstrations held on Oct. 7 should be treated as inherently antisemitic, asserting, “It is factually incorrect that a protest or advocacy on October 7th is in any way antisemitic.”
Whether a particular demonstration constitutes antisemitic harassment depends on its conduct, language and circumstances. Political criticism of Israel does not automatically constitute antisemitism, while statements threatening or targeting Jewish individuals because of their identity may violate school anti-harassment policies.
The disagreement in Bellevue concerned the district’s assessment of a specific protest promotion that included language school officials identified as antisemitic, rather than a general prohibition on Palestinian advocacy.
CAIR-WA and Washington for Peace and Justice also requested a broader role in shaping how the district discusses the conflict. The organizations maintained that school administrators should seek input from groups representing Muslim and Palestinian perspectives before distributing communications about sensitive international events.
“It is crucial that, if providing messaging to students, school district leaders do so while informed by organizations like CAIR-WA,” the letter stated.
The organizations further advised districts that could not follow their recommendations to refrain from issuing correspondence about Oct. 7 to students and families.
“If your district is unable to follow the above guidelines, we ask that you refrain from sending any correspondence regarding October 7th to your district’s families and students,” the letter stated.
Those requests drew criticism from RAIR Foundation, which argued that outside advocacy organizations should not determine how public school officials describe the Hamas attacks or respond to incidents involving antisemitism.
The foundation characterized the correspondence as part of a broader effort to reshape the narrative surrounding Oct. 7 and accused CAIR-WA of minimizing the significance of the violence against Israeli civilians.
RAIR wrote that the organizations were attempting to require schools to connect references to the attack with allegations against Israel, rather than allowing administrators to address the anniversary and its effects on Jewish students independently.
The foundation also criticized CAIR-WA’s position that opposition to Zionism should be treated separately from antisemitism, arguing that certain anti-Zionist rhetoric can reinforce hostility toward Jews.
The Oct. 7 attacks were carried out by Hamas-led militants who crossed from Gaza into southern Israel, attacked communities and military installations, killed civilians and soldiers, and abducted hostages. The violence triggered a prolonged Israeli military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
Israel has maintained that its military operations were intended to dismantle Hamas’ armed infrastructure and prevent further attacks. Israeli officials have accused Hamas of using tunnels and military installations in densely populated civilian areas, creating additional operational risks and complicating efforts to distinguish combatants from civilians.
The war also caused extensive destruction, displacement and civilian casualties in Gaza, prompting international criticism of Israel’s military conduct and disputes over whether particular actions violated international humanitarian law.
Allegations that Israel’s conduct amounted to genocide have been raised by Palestinian advocates, human rights organizations and governments. Israel has rejected those accusations, maintaining that its military campaign was directed against Hamas rather than Palestinian civilians as a population.
The legal and political disputes over Israel’s conduct are distinct from the established fact that Hamas-led militants carried out the Oct. 7 attacks. CAIR-WA’s proposed language would connect those events in school communications, a position Bellevue officials had not adopted in their original announcement.
The organizations’ campaign extended beyond the Bellevue School District. According to RAIR Foundation, CAIR-WA circulated guidance addressed to Washington school district leaders ahead of the third anniversary, urging administrators to recognize Palestinian perspectives and avoid characterizing political protests as discriminatory solely because they occurred on Oct. 7.
The broader guidance also challenged how schools distinguish protected political speech from harassment involving Jewish identity, Zionism and Israeli government policies.
CAIR-WA has previously been involved in discussions with Washington education officials concerning guidance on antisemitism, Islamophobia and discriminatory harassment. The organization has advocated revisions to language it believes could improperly categorize Palestinian political expression as hateful conduct.
Those efforts have included discussions involving the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and other state authorities responsible for developing educational policies.
CAIR-WA has described its involvement as advocacy for Muslim students and families, while critics contend that its proposed revisions could weaken protections against certain forms of antisemitic expression.
The current disagreement follows earlier controversies involving CAIR’s national organization and its political advocacy.
During the federal prosecution of the Holy Land Foundation, a Texas-based charity whose leaders were convicted in a terrorism-financing case involving Hamas, CAIR was named among numerous unindicted co-conspirators or joint venturers identified by prosecutors. CAIR was not charged or convicted in that case.
The designation has been cited repeatedly by critics questioning the organization’s historical associations, while CAIR has disputed efforts to portray the listing as proof of criminal wrongdoing.
Some state governments have also adopted measures identifying CAIR as a terrorist organization, decisions the organization rejects. Such state-level actions are distinct from a federal Foreign Terrorist Organization designation, and CAIR is not designated as an FTO by the U.S. State Department.
The organization’s Washington chapter continues to participate in public debates over education policy, religious discrimination and the rights of Muslim and Palestinian Americans.
The planned Oct. 7 student demonstration ultimately appeared to attract limited participation. Reporting from the Seattle area indicated that the broader campaign to organize walkouts across several districts did not produce the widespread school disruptions anticipated by organizers.
The public discussion surrounding the walkout campaign also drew attention to the swastika incident at Newport High School, which occurred shortly before the anniversary.
Additional reporting on the attempted walkouts indicated that district officials maintained ordinary classroom schedules while enforcing attendance policies.
The reported limited turnout did not end the disagreement over the district’s communications. CAIR-WA’s letter raised a separate question about whether school officials should alter future statements concerning Oct. 7, regardless of how many students participated in the demonstration.
Bellevue administrators have maintained that students may express political opinions while remaining subject to school rules concerning attendance, safety and discriminatory conduct. The district’s original communication also emphasized that religious and ethnic harassment are unacceptable and that Jewish students should be able to attend school without fear of intimidation.
The advocacy organizations continue to argue that Palestinian perspectives must be represented and that schools should avoid treating political opposition to Israel as inherently antisemitic.
The dispute therefore concerns more than a single student walkout. It involves the authority of public school administrators to communicate about international events, the role of outside advocacy organizations in shaping those messages and the distinction between protected political expression and harassment based on religion or ethnicity.
As of Friday, no public announcement established that Bellevue School District had accepted CAIR-WA’s demands or agreed to change its guidance regarding the Hamas attacks.
The district’s published position remains that students retain their rights to political expression but must comply with attendance requirements and rules protecting classmates from discrimination and harassment.
The disagreement illustrates the challenges facing public schools as they address the continuing consequences of the Israel-Hamas war while responding to competing demands from community organizations.
For Bellevue, the immediate controversy began with a swastika discovered at one high school and an externally promoted walkout targeting another. It has since developed into a broader dispute over whether administrators should revise how they discuss the Oct. 7 attacks, Gaza and the responsibilities of schools to protect students with deeply differing perspectives.
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