Protesters disrupted a Philadelphia School Board meeting Thursday night calling for the reinstatement of a teacher who they claim was removed after she allowed her students to express opinions supporting Palestinian rights. The meeting continued in private but was broadcasted for the public. NBC10’s Brian Sheehan spoke with the protesters.
Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a Philadelphia School Board meeting Thursday night, calling for the reinstatement of a longtime teacher who they claim was removed due to her personal beliefs.
The Philadelphia School District said the meeting had to be moved to a private room after the protesters' disruption but, was still broadcasted on TVs and monitors throughout the building so they did not violate the Sunshine Act, which states public meetings must be open to the public.
After the meeting was moved, the protesters filled the lobby of the district building and eventually made their way outside where they continued chanting on the front steps.
The protesting group was made up of about 30 parents, educators and community members who showed up to demand that Northeast Philadelphia High School teacher Keziah Ridgeway be reinstated after she was removed from the classroom seven weeks ago. The protesters claimed Ridgeway was removed for allowing her students to express opinions supporting Palestinian rights.
The group, which calls itself "Philly Parents for Palestine," told us that Ridgeway was only removed after a third-party organization filed a complaint.
“Ms. Ridgeway is a great teacher. And it’s unacceptable that during a teacher shortage, we would punish a teacher for doing absolutely nothing but being a good teacher," Jethro Heiko, a Northeast High School parent, said.
Ridgeway was not in attendance at Thursday's protest; however, her sister spoke with NBC10 and insists Ridgeway never did anything wrong and is a beloved teacher.
“We look to the school board to support our teachers, to support our students, support the parents. But they're supporting outsiders that have nothing to do with anything that’s going on. They don’t even have children that go to Northeast High School," Ronita Jones, Ridgeway's sister, said.
The School District of Philadelphia released a response to the protest:
“The School District of Philadelphia strives to create safe, welcoming and inclusive learning environments for all of our students, staff, and families. Everyone has a right to protest peacefully. When protestors attempted to halt the Board of Education meeting, board members were escorted to another location where they could continue conducting the business of the District. The meeting continued to be broadcast on cable TV, online and in the lobby of the Constance E. Clayton Education Center. The District does not comment on personnel matters."
The Deborah Project -- a law firm that represents members of the Jewish community who've been discriminated against in educational settings -- filed the initial complaint on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia against Ridgeway in September.
Lori Lowenthal Marcus, the Deborah Project's legal director, told NBC10 Ridgeway's removal had nothing to do with her curriculum, but rather her threats against Jewish parents in the school community.
"She was removed because she made credible threats of violence against specific named Jewish parents of the Philadelphia School District," Marcus said. "The people who are protesting about some inability to teach about Palestine, that had nothing to do with why Keziah Ridgeway was removed. Their protests are unfounded. They should try and understand the true basis for the removal and the question to be asked is of Keziah Ridgeway. Why would she threaten Jewish parents from the Philadelphia School District with gun violence?”
According to the complaint, Ridgeway initially clashed with the School District of Philadelphia Jewish Family Association (SDP JFA), an organization of Jewish parents with children in the Philadelphia School District who oppose anti-Zionist teaching in school curriculum.
“As the Philadelphia School District is by this time well aware, Ridgeway has for many months publicly attacked and vilified any person—student, parent, teacher or member of the public—who criticizes her and her campaign against this Jewish principle,” Marcus wrote in the complaint.
The complaint states Ridgeway then began posting ominous posts on her Instagram page in August, including the messages, “keep my name out ya’ll mouth,” and “Now I’m taking the gloves off.” The complaint states Ridgeway also posted the messages, “Ain’t no fun when the rabbit got the” followed by an emoji of a face with a finger on the lips, implying the word "gun," as well as the message, “Black owned [gun emoji] shops in Philly? Asking for a friend.”
“There can be no doubt –because Ridgeway has said it herself—that these posts are designed to intimidate members of the Jewish community and their families and anyone else whom she perceives as opposing her toxic campaign against Zionism,” Marcus wrote. “Ridgeway posts these threats to silence her targets: to “keep my name out y’all mouth,” and so to stop them from objecting to and interfering with her continued reign of terror.”
