Congressman Dan Goldman Introduces Bill to Protect Students from Antisemitism and Other Forms of Discrimination

The ‘Showing Up for Students Act’ Would Give Office for Civil Rights $280 Million to Respond to Title VI Complaints

Title VI Complaints of Antisemitism, Other Shared Ancestry and Religious Discrimination Have Increased 1,360 Percent

Read the Bill Here

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today introduced the ‘Showing Up for Students Act,’ which provides $280 million in additional funding for the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education, doubling its funding from fiscal year 2023. The OCR is the office responsible for protecting the civil rights of students in American schools, including from incidents related to antisemitism and other shared ancestry and religious discrimination. In March, this legislation was introduced in the Senate by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). The “Showing Up for Students” Act is endorsed by the NAACP, Nexus Project, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Following the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, there has been a noted increase in reported incidents of antisemitism in schools across the nation. Between October 1, 2023 and February 15, 2024, OCR received 219 complaints involving Title VI shared ancestry investigations, the category under which complaints relating to antisemitism, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab discrimination are classified. This is a staggering increase of 1,360 percent from the same time period the year before.

“Since the October 7 terrorist attack, it has been disheartening and deflating to see the stark rise in antisemitism,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “Far too many Jews are feeling the need to hide once again, especially students on college campuses across America who have been subject to hate speech, intimidation, harassment, and even violence. In this pivotal moment, it is absolutely critical that we do everything we can to drive out hate in all its forms – from our schools, from our cities, and from our nation.”

Alan Solow, Chair of the Nexus Leadership Project said, "At the Nexus Leadership Project, we are deeply committed to ensuring all students, Jewish and non-Jewish, have access to a safe, discrimination-free learning environment. The alarming surge in reports of harassment and discrimination, especially antisemitic incidents, on college campuses underscores the urgent need for robust civil rights enforcement. Right now, the Office for Civil Rights is severely under resourced, with each investigator taking on as many as 50 cases each. By significantly increasing funding, the Showing Up for Students Act would provide the resources necessary to promptly investigate complaints, proactively prevent discrimination, and uphold the civil rights protections that are vital for students to thrive academically and personally.  Protecting all students' rights, regardless of religion, race or ethnicity, is not a partisan issue - it is a moral imperative we all must rally behind. We applaud Congressman Goldman and Senator Casey for introducing this practical legislation to countering antisemitism."

Even prior to October 7, antisemitism had been on the rise across the United States. From 2021 to 2022, reports of antisemitic incidents increased by 36 percent. Antisemitic incidents on college campuses increased by 41 percent in 2022. According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents increased 360 percent in the three months following October 7, 2023, compared to the same three-month time period in 2022.

The Office for Civil Rights works to ensure that all students, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability, are able to access an equal education. It does so through enforcement of federal civil rights laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Despite the importance of OCR’s work, the office is chronically underfunded. OCR has more than 10,000 pending cases under investigation, with the oldest pending investigations opened 17 years ago. During the last decade, the volume of complaints OCR received has increased significantly, while staffing levels have decreased. From 2012 to 2022, the number of complaints received by OCR increased by 140 percent, from 7,833 complaints in fiscal year 2012 to more than 18,000 in fiscal year 2022. During the same decade, OCR’s Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff decreased by six percent. In fiscal year 2023, OCR received 19,201 complaints, the highest in its 40-year history, and had 562 FTE staff, among the lowest in its history.

The ‘Showing Up for Students Act’ has been cosponsored by Representatives Auchincloss (MA-04), Carson (IN-07), Manning (NC-06), Meng (NY-06), Nadler (NY-12), Raskin (MD-08), and Williams (GA-05).

Congressman Dan Goldman is committed to stopping the spread of antisemitism and all forms of hate across the United States.

In January of 2023, Goldman cosponsored the ‘Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons (HEAL) Act’ to require the Department of Education to conduct a study on Holocaust education efforts in states, local educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools.

In March of 2023, amidst a staggering increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and antisemitic incidents, the Congressman called on the Department of Justice to provide an overview of law enforcement agency compliance with hate crime reporting requirements. He also called on the Department of Justice to review underreporting of these incidents and work to bring law enforcement agencies into reporting compliance.

In April of 2023, Congressman Goldman requested $2 million in the FY 2024 budget for the U.S. Department of State’s Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism and $360 million for the Nonprofit Security Grants Program to provide funding for houses of worship, religious schools, and other nonprofit organizations to invest in security enhancements.

Congressman Dan Goldman is a member of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism.

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