Unforgetting Censorship, Reimagining Academic Freedom: The Suppression of Discourse Around Palestine in U.S. Education

• In Event: The Power Of (Un)Forgetting, Historical Consciousness And Decolonial Future Of Education

Abstract

This paper investigates how federal complaints, education legislation, and school-board debates are used to suppress discourse on Palestine in U.S. education. Drawing on 120 Title VI complaints, 30 Office for Civil Rights investigations, 68 legislative texts, and 3 congressional hearings, we find that criticism of Israel is often conflated with antisemitism to justify censorship. These actions frequently seek to limit schools’ and universities’ authority over curriculum and student expression. Situated within broader attacks on DEI, these efforts produce a chilling effect across K–20 classrooms. Using critical policy analysis, we map key actors, tactics, and policy shifts impacting academic freedom, curriculum, and historical narratives; calling for collective resistance that defends the right to teach Palestine within a globally conscious, just education.

Authors

• Mai Zaru, Southern Methodist University

• Danfeng Soto-Vigil Koon, University of San Francisco

• Huriya Jabbar, University of Southern California