A Maryland high school principal approved a request for a anti-Israel walkout on the anniversary of Kristallnacht and told students he was “proud” of them when they said they were following a call by the Palestinian Youth Movement, records show.
Principal Edward Owusu of Clarksburg High School in Montgomery County granted excused absences to students who skipped class, provided equipment to “support the protest,” and overrode a Jewish teacher who correctly marked students absent, according to emails obtained by The Daily Wire under public records laws.
On November 7 at 5:54 p.m., a student leader of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) wrote to Owusu that “the national Palestinian Youth Movement has organized ‘Shut it Down for Palestine’ on Thursday, November 9th. This event calls for all students to walk out of school, employees to walk out from work, and to protest the Israeli and US government. Clarksburg’s MSA is in unequivocal support for a ceasefire and would like to walk out this Thursday.”
Owusu quickly replied, “I am proud that the Muslim Student Association has made a collective decision of support. Please make plans to see Mr. Haynes regarding plans for the Walk Out.”
November 9 is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night of anti-Jew terrorism that helped kick off the Holocaust with the assistance of the Hitler Youth. That’s not likely a coincidence, given that the Palestinian Youth Movement is a radical group that supports terrorism.
In February, the Palestinian Youth Movement held a Glory To Our Martyrs In Jenin rally in Washington, D.C., after terrorists in the region opened fire on Israeli forces and were subsequently killed. In November, it called to “Free the Holy Land Foundation 5,” referring to five people who were sentenced to decades in prison by a U.S. judge after being convicted of crimes including supporting a terrorist organization.
“We will continue resisting until the land is rightfully ours once more, and until our people secure their right of return,” it said in rejecting a peace deal that would create a Palestinian state that was not “from the river to the sea,” the Investigative Project on Terrorism reported.
Following the request, Clarksburg Assistant Principal David Douglass wrote that he was “happy to inform you that your proposal to hold a protest is approved for tomorrow,” and said the school would not just permit the protest, but provide a “microphone and a speaker system to support the protest.”
The students sent Douglass their signs and speeches for approval, including ones saying “By any means necessary” and “Resistance until liberation.” They also submitted a speech by the student government president that said that the Jews coming to Israel in 1948 was a “catastrophe” and that, “We will NEVER forget how the united states actively supported the propaganda, weapons, and murder… We will not sit silently and back down while they take even an INCH of our land. We will never give up until Palestine is free, from the river, to the sea.”
The emails produced by MCPS do not include any response from Douglass rejecting the signs or speech, though Owusu later wrote to staff that, “The administration have communicated to the student leaders of the walkout that hate speech or slogans will not be tolerated. This includes any language associated with the elimination of any race of people. Slogans such as ‘From the River to the Sea’ is often chanted at rallys [sic] and it is highly offensive. It references a goal of Hamas to kill all Jews and control the land from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean Sea.”
The emails show outrage from Jewish parents, with one writing to the school board that “the Clarksburg Muslim Student association in your school is not as peaceful as you claim. They put a post on instagram with a map that erased Israel from existence” and a graphic that said “may Allah liberate the Palestinians and ease their struggle.’”
The email was titled “Clarksburg High School – Pro Hamas Protest today,” but Sami Saeed — a student who serves as the “student member” of the adult school board — forwarded it to Owosu supportively, saying “Thank you for your support of free speech Mr. Owusu!”
Montgomery County was once a far-left and wealthy county with a sizable Jewish population, but in recent years mass immigration has led to balkanization, and new residents have marked the county’s Jews as oppressors.
One parent wrote to Owosu, “If this type of event was held against Black, LGBTQ, or other groups it would 100% NOT be tolerated. Why is it tolerated against the Jews?”
On November 8, Owosu wrote to parents that, “Led by the Clarksburg Muslim Student Association, students will be demonstrating to voice their concerns about the conflict in the Middle East, in support of Palestine. Participation in this demonstration is optional (not mandatory) and has been approved by school leadership. Absences due to participation in the walk-out will be excused.”
According to the MCPS student handbook, “[a]ny walk-out or departure from campus during the instructional day will be treated as an unexcused absence, given the disruptive impact on school operations.”
Some parents wrote to Owosu that granting excused absences, a free pass to skip school, meant that the school didn’t just begrudgingly permit the protest, but actively encouraged it — a suspicious borne out by the “proud” comment.
Owusu assured Jewish parents that he was consulting with the school’s Jewish Culture Club sponsor for how to deal with the event, but in reality, he overrode her. The teacher, Iris Schwarz, wrote to Owusu, “I am curious why this is an excused absence since it is during the school day. It was my understanding that students can exercise their civic responsibility, to participate in a rally or protest, but it was an unexcused absence if they were not in class. How am I to verify that a student was there or not? What process is in place for that?”
“Since the students stayed on campus it is excused. We did not track attendance,” Owusu replied.
Schwarz replied, “I marked the kids absent because they were not in my class. I have no way of marking excused absence,” and Owusu ordered the attendance secretary to change every “absent” student’s record to present.
Owusu retired on January 1 for what he said were personal reasons unrelated to the walkout. MCPS did not return a request for comment.
Schwartz might have found support among the teachers union, except that it is filled with anti-Israel activists. Angela Wolf, a board member of the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), was placed on leave from the district — but not the union — after creating a list of wealthy Jews in her county, claiming they horde wealth while contributing nothing to society.
Christina McCann, the “non-binary” “they/them” former teacher and child of a longtime MCEA board member, is a chief proponent of the radical anti-Israel activism flowing in teachers union circles. McCann promotes “Queer Artists for Palestine,” writing “Queer Palestinians have called on us to call out Israel.”
On Facebook, her father Patrick — who once got among the most votes from other union members to represent the union chapter at a national level — “liked” a list of “demands” to MCPS, including that four teachers suspended for anti-Semitic comments be returned to work, “the end of all U.S. aid to Israel” and “We demand MCPS end collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other anti-Palestinian organizations.”
Got a tip worth investigating? Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today.