A Brooklyn public high school is under fire after prominently displaying a large Palestinian flag in a main hallway for several months. Jewish teachers and students say the flag’s placement creates a hostile learning environment and accuse the school of pushing a political message in violation of city education policy.
The flag hangs in Leaders High School, located in the Lafayette Educational Complex in Gravesend. According to Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers, the flag has been up since at least April 2025. Jewish staff began raising concerns before the end of the last school year. Their repeated objections have reportedly gone unanswered.
Spern said the flag’s display “makes Jewish stakeholders really uncomfortable” and described it as “clearly a political statement.” He emphasized that the issue isn’t about flags in general, but the deliberate placement of this particular flag in a prominent location. Teachers have argued that such displays violate Department of Education rules that prohibit political messaging inside public schools.
The New York City Department of Education responded by defending the decision. A spokesperson said the Palestinian flag is one of twenty national flags representing the school’s diverse student body and that the school honors all flag requests. Photos provided by the DOE show several other flags displayed, though it remains unclear whether an Israeli flag is included.
The DOE also stated it had not received any formal complaints. However, Spern disputed this, saying Jewish staff and parents feel ignored. He warned that the ongoing presence of the Palestinian flag is making Jewish students feel unsafe and disrespected, especially given the tense geopolitical context surrounding Israel and Palestine.
Leaders High School, part of a larger education complex, has not issued a direct statement addressing the controversy. Jewish families and educators have called for the immediate removal of the flag or for equal representation if flags are to be displayed at all.
This dispute highlights ongoing tensions in public education over cultural and political expression, particularly when it intersects with religious identity and safety.
