A B.C. school district is apologizing for an exam question given to elementary students on whether Jewish people deserve or need a homeland.
The test asked for two responses: an argument for why the state of Israel should exist, and why it should not.
The Burnaby School District confirmed the question was in a social studies exam for Grade 6 and 7 students.
The district would not go on camera, but instead released a statement calling the question “deeply concerning,” adding that it’s taking steps to address the harm.
“We need a comprehensive plan to combat antisemitism,” Ezra Shanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, told Global News. “Help educate these teachers and these administrators around why charged subjects like this don’t help us in creating a balanced dialogue.”
In addition to the Burnaby school, a Victoria parent told Global News that a handout on Israeli occupation was given to her Grade 6 son days after the Hamas attack on Israel Oct. 7.
Global News contacted the Greater Victoria School District but did not immediately receive a response.
- Could re-flooding the Sumas Prairie help buttress Abbotsford against climate change?
- B.C. mayors ‘dumbfounded’ after Ottawa rejects bid for flood prevention cash
- Impaired driving causes two serious crashes just minutes apart: Mission RCMP
- Vancouver lays out Indigenous rights action plan to mark 10 years of reconciliation
Comments