Published On 4/24/2026
The US administration opened a civil rights investigation against the Department of Education in New York City, against the backdrop of complaints regarding a pro-Palestinian organization that includes teachers in public schools.
The US Department of Education said on Thursday that it had opened the investigation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which specifically prohibits any program or activity that receives federal financial aid from discriminating on the basis of race, color and national origin.
President Donald Trump’s administration explained that “a group of New York City Department of Education employees organized a series of educational seminars” focusing on concepts such as “Palestine, Zionism, and resistance,” in reference to the “New York Teachers for Palestine” organization.
The Federal Ministry of Education added in its statement that the federal investigation will determine whether the New York Department of Education practiced “discrimination against Jewish students,” adding that it had received complaints about the possibility of creating a “hostile environment” toward Jewish students.
A spokesman for the New York Department of Education said it was reviewing the notice it received from the federal Department of Education, and added that the organization referred to in the Trump administration’s investigation has no connection to public schools in the city.
In turn, the organization describes itself as a group of “public school teachers committed to the struggle for the liberation of Palestine in our school system and society as a whole” by working with community organizations and mobilizing teachers.
New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani reportedly held pro-Palestinian views and denounced both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
The Trump administration previously targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion programs using Chapter VI of the Civil Rights Act, after the US President led a campaign against diversity measures in companies and schools.
His administration has launched a crackdown on schools and universities by threatening to freeze federal funding and attempt to deport foreign students due to pro-Palestinian movements against the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
The Trump administration said that such movements and their supporters are “anti-Semitic” and that they “support extremist groups such as Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah group.”
Human rights defenders expressed concerns that freedom of expression, due process, and academic freedom would be undermined by the actions of the Trump administration, which faced judicial obstacles.
