Overview
- In mid–late June, Diamond Middle School principal Dr. Johnny Cole sent an apology after some families said a contracted seventh-grade lesson on modern antisemitism left students feeling "unseen" or less safe.
- Cole's message explicitly named Arab, Jewish, Lebanese, Muslim and Palestinian students and said the school would "build something better," language that critics said suggested retreat from teaching Jewish history.
- Local reporting clarified the lesson was delivered by a third-party group called TribeTalk and used materials from the Blue Square Alliance, and the school said about a dozen parents had raised concerns about content and stickers handed out after the session.
- Jewish organizations including regional AJC and the ADL criticized the apology as inappropriate and urged school leadership to defend fact-based instruction while seeking meetings with district officials.
- The episode has widened a debate over curriculum, with commentators and advocates urging clearer, context-rich Holocaust and antisemitism instruction and the district yet to issue a substantive public clarification or announce curricular changes.