Classroom on Trial: Arizona Bill Lets Families Sue Over ‘Antisemitic Teaching’

Arizona’s House Bill 7755, awaiting Governor Kathy Hobbs’ decision, has ignited fierce debate by proposing to let students and parents or K-12 and university educators sue for teaching or promoting antisemitism, potentially exacerbating the state’s teacher shortage and raising First Amendment concerns.

The bill, which passed the Arizona Senate on May 28 and the House on June 4 along mostly party lines, bans educators, administrators, and volunteers at public schools and universities from promoting antisemitism, mandating students advocate for anti-Semitic views, or receiving training that fosters a “hostile” environment. It specifies prohibited speech, like calling Israel’s existence “racist” or comparing its policies to Nazi actions, and allows public complaints to trigger investigations, with penalties ranging from reprimands to termination and civil lawsuits.

Supporters, led by Rep. Michael Way, argue it addresses gaps in anti-discrimination laws, stating, “Existing laws either weren’t clear enough or didn’t contain the necessary enforcement mechanism.” Rep. Walt Blackman emphasized protecting Jewish communities, saying, “This is a long time coming to protect their identity, their community, their demographics,” likening it to historical anti-Black discrimination in schools. Rep. Alma Hernandez, a Jewish Democrat who voted yes, called out displays of Palestinian flags in schools as “political statements” inappropriate for public education.

Critics, including the Arizona Education Association and ACLU of Arizona, urged Hobbs to veto the bill, warning it “weaponizes legitimate concerns about antisemitism to attack public education” by stripping teachers’ liability protections, exposing them to “bad-faith litigation.” The ACLU argued it “will chill the First Amendment rights of students, teachers, speakers, and administrators.” First Amendment expert Eugene Volokh deemed the provision targeting university student groups “pretty clearly unconstitutional,” noting, “Courts recognize faculty have broad rights to speak out in public and in their scholarship.” He cautioned that vague definitions of antisemitism and restrictions on teachers’ external speech, like calls for genocide, could violate free speech protections.

The bill, prompted by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, mirrors national efforts to curb antisemitism but risks punishing criticism of Israel, critics say. Hobbs must act by June 10, amid pressure from her 2026 re-election prospects and Arizona’s 8% teacher vacancy rate, worsened by low salaries averaging $52,000 annually.