Committee advances Antisemitism in Education Act after lengthy, emotional testimony

The Senate Education Committee moved HB 2575, titled the Antisemitism in Education Act, out of committee after more than an hour of testimony from advocates, education groups and civil-rights organizations.

As introduced, the bill would prohibit public schools, personnel and higher-education institutions from teaching or promoting antisemitism that constitutes harassment or discrimination or creates a hostile learning environment. The bill includes reporting procedures, disciplinary remedies, and an appeals process; it would require higher-education institutions to submit annual compliance reports.

Supporters — including representatives of local Jewish organizations and the bill’s drafter — described a range of recent incidents in K–12 and on university campuses, from harassment and vandalism to instances they said showed inadequate institutional responses. Corina Beyond Wilner of the Center for Jewish Resilience said 42% of reported incidents in their tracking are connected to schools and that many incidents go unreported; Beverly and Michael Goldstein urged strong legal protections and enforcement.

Opponents, including the ACLU and the Arizona Education Association, warned the bill uses a definition tied to examples that could be interpreted to restrict protected speech. Jean Woodbury (ACLU of Arizona) cited a federal district-court decision in Texas that found a similar policy likely to be viewpoint-discriminatory and chill speech. AEA representatives said the bill exposes educators to legal risk and would make recruitment and retention harder.

Representative Wei, the sponsor, and bill drafter Michael Goldstein said the bill includes First Amendment safeguards and is intended to protect students from harassment rather than restrict legitimate academic discussion; they noted prior meetings with the governor’s office seeking changes but said the governor’s staff previously indicated a veto was likely.

After debate, the committee moved HB 2575 for a due-pass recommendation; roll call recorded 4 ayes, 2 nays, and 1 not voting. Committee members asked for continued stakeholder work on language and remedies as the bill proceeds.

The record shows strong emotions on both sides and competing concerns about campus safety and free-speech limits. The bill will move forward in the legislative process with those issues likely to be revisited.