Quaker school suspends two teachers over Palestinian speaker
Two teachers at a Quaker school outside Philadelphia have been suspended over fallout from a Palestinian speaker’s invitation to a school club.
A lawyer representing Ariel Eure and Layla Helwa told the Philadelphia Inquirer the teachers were put on administrative leave Monday from Friends’ Central School in Wynnewood. The two supervised the school’s Peace and Equality in Palestine club.
The kerfuffle involves a Swarthmore College professor who’d been invited to speak last week at the club.Parents complained about Sa’ed Atshan’s involvement in a movement that advocates punitive measures against Israel to end the occupation of Palestinian territories. School leaders canceled his speech.
About 65 students, Eure and Helwa walked out of a weekly school meeting in protest. The administration said the teachers are on leave while a review is conducted.
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts donates $200,000 to buy air conditioning units at 10 Philly schools
Hurts donated $200,000 to buy more than 300 air conditioning units for 10 Philly schools. Hurts visited Edward Gideon School in North Philly to announce the news.
6 days ago
Listen 1:01
Pa. school district cancels actor Maulik Pancholy’s speech over his activism and ‘lifestyle’
Pancholy, who is gay, was scheduled to speak against bullying during a May 22 assembly at Mountain View Middle School in Cumberland County.
7 days ago
Shapiro says Pennsylvania will move all school standardized testing online in 2026
The governor said he would like to get rid of the federally required standardized tests altogether, but that would mean losing $600 million in federal aid.
1 week ago