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<br />To be clear: if symbols like the swastika or the Confederate flag are recognized as inappropriate in public <br />spaces due to their violent and hateful connotations, the keffiyeh, with its ties to terrorism, must be treated the <br />same. <br /> <br />OCSA has an obligation to create a safe, neutral space for all students, free from the promotion of hate or <br />violence, or from blatantly displayed symbols meant to create a hostile and unwelcoming environment for <br />minority groups. Allowing anyone to wear the keffiyeh violates this responsibility and sends the message that <br />OCSA condones such divisive ideologies. This is a dereliction of duty and contributes to the dangerous <br />indoctrination of impressionable young minds we are seeing in our K-12 schools and on college campuses \[12\]. <br />This reinforces toxic ideologies, fosters a culture of hate, and encourages or, at best, condones violence. <br /> <br />As a publicly funded charter school, OCSA has both a moral and legal obligation to ensure taxpayer funds are <br />used to promote equality and respect, not violence and intolerance, which could jeopardize its legal standing <br />and tax-exempt status \[13\]. <br /> <br />When someone wears a keffiyeh, they are advocating for and promoting a symbol of violence. Is that the image <br />OCSA wants to project, especially to impressionable students? <br /> <br />Please respond to this email that you will make an immediate and clear policy change prohibiting the display of <br />any symbols linked to terrorism (including the keffiyeh), violence, or hate towards the Jewish community and <br />other minority groups. <br /> <br />Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. <br /> <br />Sincerely, <br /> <br /> <br />Susan Orbach <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />References: <br />1. https://www.ocsarts.net/about-us/who-we-are <br />2. https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/keffiyeh-as-neo-swastika-fashion-statement/ <br />3. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/yasser-arafat <br />4. https://extremismterms.adl.org/glossary/leila-khaled <br />5. https://www.state.gov/foreign-terrorist-organizations/ <br />6. https://www.ajc.org/IsraelHamasWar <br />7. https://stljewishlight.org/news/israel-news/an-israeli-first-responder-recalls-tending-to-the-body-of-a-baby- <br />burnt-in-an-oven/ <br />8. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-789713 <br />9. https://www.adl.org/resources/article/stop-and-think-anti-israel-chants-and-what-they-mean <br />10. https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/06/us/anti-jewish-threats-us-adl/index.html <br />11. https://arapahoelibraries.org/library-policies/ethical-conduct/ <br />12. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/3279603/students-conditioned- <br />sympathize-terrorists/ <br />13. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house- <br />bill/9495#:~:text=9495%20%2D%20118th%20Congress%20(2023%2D,Congress.gov%20%7C%20Library%2 <br />0of%20Congress <br />2 <br /> <br />