Portland Public Schools bars teachers from personal or political classroom displays amid anti-Israel clash

Portland Public Schools has adopted a new rule barring teachers from displaying their personal views on a “political or personal issue” in the classroom.According to The Oregonian, the new guidance was “quietly” adopted under an administrative directive on August 24.“Content on classroom walls, bulletin boards or otherwise displayed in the classroom must be related to the curriculum or district sponsored pursuant to [the district’s academic freedom policy],” the rule says.“Those spaces cannot be used for an employee’s personal expression whether that is related to a political or personal issue.”Portland Public Schools told Fox News Digital that the new rule has been in the works for a year and “acts as a reminder to all of our student-centered mission and also reminds our staff to use District spaces for educational purposes.” “The AD is content neutral, and we believe supports the goal of remaining focused on creating a rich educational environment for students,” the statement said.“Personal expression by employees is not in furtherance of PPS’s academic purposes.

Academic purposes, of course, will vary depending on the course content. Displays should be focused on student’s needs and tethered to the curriculum, not on the personal views of the teacher,” the statement continued.The spokesperson confirmed that the new guidance does not bar teachers from displaying pro-LGBTQ or pro-Black Lives materials in the classroom.“The rainbow flag and BLM poster are district-approved symbols of inclusion to often marginalized students. Posters advocating for specific positions on political positions are not student-centered in that they are not rooted in our educational mission or curriculum,” they said to Fox News Digital. The new guidance comes months after teachers’ unions clashed with district leaders over whether teachers had the right to engage in pro-Palestinian activism in the classroom.Oregon Educators for Palestine, ...