At the final public Princeton Public Schools Board of Education meeting of the school year on Tuesday, June 11, many community members commented on the recent walkout for Gaza at Princeton High School, mostly supporting participating students and criticizing the school district's handling of the walkout.
On May 10, around 50 students from Princeton High School left during a passing period between exams and marched to the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on the University’s Cannon Green. In the aftermath of the protest, administration sent an email to the school district saying that the incident was being investigated, specifically for alleged use of “signage and inappropriate posters.”
More than 40 people were present at the meeting, a much higher number than usual. Several speakers expressed support for students who participated in the walkout and disapproval of the way the school has handled the incident, and many talked about their personal experiences with Islamophobia.
Zainab Qureshi, who identified herself as an alum of Princeton Public Schools, said that the Board had failed to protect students during and after the protest.
“Keffiyehs, symbols of Palestinian heritage and resistance, were confiscated and students wearing them were labeled agitators,” she said. “Minors were filmed without consent, and parents shared these videos on social media, leading to cyberbullying of these kids.”
She also said that the school board’s response to the protest countered the school system’s mission.
“The mission of Princeton Public Schools is to prepare all children to lead lives of joy and purpose as knowledgeable, creative and compassionate citizens of a global society. Yet the board’s inaction and discriminatory practices towards Palestinian and Muslim students contradict these values,” she said.
Qureshi and three others also spoke about their personal experiences with Islamophobia. Ayesha Qureshi, an educator and Princeton native, for example, spoke about the discrimination she faced while she was a student in the Princeton Public Schools district.
“I’ve been called [a] terrorist on numerous occasions. When Osama bin Laden died, somebody asked me, ‘Are you okay? Are you good?’ Like I have some kind of relationship to the guy,” she said. “I felt like I had to hide my identity. I felt like I didn’t have the support of the administration. And I felt like students didn’t have the education that they need to have in order to not say comments like this.”
Others addressed the chants that were used at the walkout. Protestors had chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a phrase that has drawn controversy due to varied interpretations.
Asma Elhuni, speaking on behalf of American Muslims for Palestine New Jersey, claimed that the chant “is a call for a one-state solution with equal rights for everyone under the law, as currently there are no equal rights for Palestinians in Israel.”
She further compared the slogan to the phrase “Black Lives Matter,” saying that “just because people are saying Black lives matter, it does not mean that white lives do not matter. It means that Black lives don’t matter and need to.”
“The slogan addresses a very specific geographic location where Jews are people of privilege backed by law, by arms, and have institutional power the way white people hold the power in the U[nited] S[tates],” she added.
Others, however, countered that Jewish students felt unsafe due to the usage of the slogan and other aspects of the protest.
Lila Raivetz, who identified herself as the president of the Jewish Club at PHS, said, “As a Jewish student with a strong connection to Israel, I pray for peace and safety for both sides. However, I feel the way people have been going about asking for peace is something I don’t agree with: graffitiing the school, running through the school with drums during AP testing, passing out flyers that weren’t approved by the school.”
“There’s a way to go about asking for peace and safety, and this isn’t it.”
Alexandra Bar-Cohen, a Princeton resident who said that she had attended the encampment on campus holding up photos of hostages, accused organizers at the University’s pro-Palestine movement of influencing the high school protesters.
“At last month’s meeting, it was made clear by several Princeton-affiliated speakers that they played a significant role in inviting and escorting our students there,” she said.
Zia Hughes, who identified herself as an organizer of the walkout, said that the protest was "completely student led and organized." She added that "[m]arshals from the university Gaza encampment never set foot on PHS campus, but accompanied the walkout in order to act as protection, as has been shown to be needed."
The meeting also began with the appointment of Todd McDonald as Chief Technology Officer and Alicia Carsdale as Assistant Principal at Princeton Middle School. These were followed by a presentation on an Earth Day Engineering Program by Princeton Innovation Engineering and a presentation on Pride Month in support of LGBTQ+ students by Princeton Middle School faculty.
Christopher Bao is an assistant News editor and the accessibility director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Princeton, N.J. and typically covers town politics and life.
Chloe Lau is a staff Features writer and a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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