NYC Chancellor David Banks at a congressional hearing Wednesday defended the New York City public schools’ response to antisemitism and tensions fueled by the war in Gaza, as Republican lawmakers pressed the leader of the nation’s largest school district to crack down on students and faculty.
Chancellor David Banks: “True antidote to ignorance and bias is to teach.”
Local public schools have recorded 281 incidents since Oct. 7, including 42% that were logged as antisemitic and 30% were Islamophobic, Banks told the Republican-led U.S. House education subcommittee. In response, the chancellor said administrators are trying to balance discipline with chances for children and adults to learn from their mistakes.
“We cannot simply discipline our way out of this problem,” Banks said at the Washington, D.C. hearing. “The true antidote to ignorance and bias is to teach.”
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