Three of the four teachers placed on administrative leave in connection with their social media posts concerning the Mideast War and antisemitism are back teaching at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).
None of the three teachers were assigned to their original schools.
According to listings in the MCPS staff directory, Angela Wolf was moved from Takoma Park Middle School to Seneca Vally High School, Hajur El-Haggan was moved from Argyle Middle School to Green Castle Elementary School and Sabrina Khan-Williams, who taught at Tilden Elementary School, now teaches at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School.
The fourth teacher who was placed on leave is not listed in the districtwide staff directory.
Maryland Jewish Alliance issued a news release condemning the reinstatement of the teachers. The group “expresses its deep concern” that those teachers have returned to the classroom after writing or posting “antisemitic and anti-Israel content online.”
Their reinstatement “raises serious concerns about the school system’s commitment to combatting antisemitism.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) opposed those teachers being placed on administrative leave. CAIR filed an EEOC complaint on behalf of El-Haggan, stating she had been discriminated against. It called for her immediate reinstatement.
At a rally in December 2023, CAIR said placing teachers on administrative leave for expressing solidarity with Palestinian human rights was wrong, unjust and unconstitutional.
MCPS did not respond to MCM about how the decision was made to reinstate the three teachers.
Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) Associate Director Guila Franklin Siegel wrote in a statement, “We appreciate MCPS for its due diligence in this matter, including reassigning these teachers to different schools and reinforcing the standards of its social media guidelines for educators and staff.”
While acknowledging that personnel information about teachers is restricted, Franklin Siegel urged MCPS “to share any information it can within those constraints to maintain trust with and accountability to Jewish families who have been on the receiving end of antisemitic attacks.”
She added, “Complete silence erodes that trust.”
More than 3,500 county residents signed a JCRC petition urging the school district “to fully investigate teachers who spread hateful and divisive messages in the aftermath of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Oct. 7.” according to Franklin Siegel.
