Portland teachers union publishes guidebook on 'organizing for Palestine' in public schools

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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through the streets of downtown Portland

Several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through the streets of downtown Portland, starting and ending at city hall.

A teachers union that represents employees in the Portland Public Schools (PPS) released a guide on how to teach anti-Israel views in schools.

Oregon Educators for Palestine, in association with the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT}, released the handbook, titled "Know Your Rights! Teaching & Organizing for Palestine Within Portland Public Schools," allegedly in response to teachers being censored and facing "discrimination and harassment" at "the hands of PPS District leadership."

The handbook alleges that teachers were censored for "teaching about Palestine, posting pro-Palestine sentiments in schools, and even those wearing Pro-Palestine messages."

They list examples of district censorship including of "student work on the topics of Settler Colonialism and Zionism" and staff members "wearing clothing with the phrase 'From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free,' claiming the phrase constituted hate speech and threatening to write up staff for insubordination if worn again." 

STRIKING PORTLAND TEACHERS TEMPORARILY BLOCK DOWNTOWN BRIDGE

A protester holds a placard saying "K-12 Teachers for Palestine" as students, holding banners and Palestinian flags, gather to stage a demonstration to show solidarity with Palestinians and demand an immediate ceasefire for Gaza in front of the White House in Washington D.C., United States on May 24, 2024.  (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The teachers union claims the "censorship" conflicts with district policies, pointing to the district’s Civic Engagement and Unrest guidebook that states support for Black Lives Matter is not a "political statement" and not "associated with a specific candidate or political campaign" and thus allowed.

One of the sections in the Oregon Educators for Palestine guidebook titled "Palestine in the classroom" prepares teachers for how to respond to students’ questions about the issue.

"Root your answer in facts and ask them more questions to help them develop their own opinions," the guidance reads. "Remind them that what we are seeing is not a long-standing hostility between Jewish and Arab or Muslim people. Palestinian resistance is a political struggle for self-determination against colonial and apartheid rule that has roots in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries."

The handbook also informs teachers of their legal rights, citing state law that employees are immune from retaliation against their political activities outside of work, and offering support for when facing pushback from administrators.

The guide further argues, "Teaching about Palestine is also protected under Oregon’s Ethnic Studies Standards."

PORTLAND SCHOOLS CLOSED FOR 9TH STRAIGHT DAY AS TEACHER STRIKE DRAGS ON

Portland Public Schools logo. (Credit: Portland Public Schools) (Portland Public Schools)

Portland Public Schools told Fox News Digital that "to be clear, the curriculum and guide the PAT posted is not part of the PPS curriculum."

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They added that the district is "committed to fostering an environment in all our schools and classrooms where every student feels safe, supported, and valued."

"It is our expectation that staff create these spaces by facilitating respectful, age-appropriate, and standards-based learning and contextualization of major world events such as the ongoing Israel-Hamas war or, before that, the war in Ukraine," the statement read. "When these expectations of staff are not met – such as when a teacher engages in political advocacy while working – our process is to talk with the teacher about our expectations and direct corrections, removal, or replacement of inappropriate content."

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Portland Association of Teachers for comment.