Of necessity, our work as a JCRC is partially reactive. When antisemitic incidents occur, we pick up the phone and provide support. When on December 4, for example, about two dozen students from the School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) walked out and staged a protest that included problematic language and graphics, we immediately got involved.

Ideally, our work should be proactive too—and the situation at SCPA marks an occasion where there is a nexus between these two modes of activity.

Since that December SCPA walkout, we have been in continuous discussions with Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) leaders to find a path forward. While some of our talks have revolved around disciplinary shortcomings for student misbehavior, or around how this mishap has heightened tensions between Cincinnati Jews and a majority-black school, we have sought also to consider how the incident can guide us in a more productive direction. In particular, we have proposed and begun to develop consensus around the creation of an identity-based hate and hate speech policy for CPS.

After months of behind-the-scenes discussion, we had our first public sign of success last Friday (3/8), at the Policy & Equity Committee of the CPS Board of Education. During their meeting that day, we joined deliberations regarding this new policy, and we received great support.

One board member, Mike Moroski, who chairs the committee, stated his belief that “there is at least a quorum, and probably 7-out-of-7…desire to get this done.” Likewise, his colleague, Ben Lindy, set a target: “A good goal [for completing the new policy] should be before we go away before the summer break.”

To me, what is especially encouraging about this development is that the policy we are creating will not only protect Jewish children, but also any child who faces similar forms of hate to Jews, regardless of their religion or background. As I said in committee that day, “there’s a difference between students engaging in ‘incidental conflict’ between one another [vs] targeted conflict and acts of hate based on one another’s identities.”

Sadly, Jews aren’t the only group to be targeted in this fashion. And we know how damaging it can be.

Happily, though, as we make progress in this fight, we can share the protections we create with others, keeping a wider group of our Cincinnati community’s children safe.