House report finds Philadelphia schools hid curriculum from parents

A majority staff report from the House Education and Workforce Committee has documented how Philadelphia school officials prevented parents from accessing social studies instructional materials. The report states that a small group of personnel used the curriculum to promote political causes, forcing families to seek outside assistance to view the content their children were studying.

Parents who contacted the North American Values Institute reported that district staff refused to provide the curriculum materials. An anonymous teacher eventually shared the documents with the organization, citing fears about releasing public school instructional materials to outsiders. The congressional investigation revealed specific assignments that the report characterizes as promoting extremist causes rather than neutral study.

One world history assignment asked students to honor a resistance movement, with options including the Great March of Return. The report notes that Hamas supported this campaign along the Gaza-Israel border and that it engaged in violent confrontation. Another exercise required students to identify the United States and Israel as terrorist states. While studying political movements and competing perspectives is standard, the report argues that asking students to honor a specific movement crosses the line into celebration and identification with violence.

Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington told investigators that the curriculum did not indoctrinate students. However, he stated he was unaware that materials from the Racial Justice Organizing Committee, a group led by district employees, were included in the lessons. In response to the findings, the district told investigators it would stop having internal staff write social studies curricula and would standardize instruction with national experts.

The district also placed Ismael Jimenez, the social studies curriculum director, in termination proceedings. The report notes that Jimenez had celebrated the Oct. 7 attacks. The committee views these personnel changes as a first step but warns that they will be ineffective if the curriculum remains inaccessible to the public.

Without direct access to materials, disputes over curriculum content rely on conflicting assertions between administrators and critics. Officials often claim that isolated passages are taken out of context, while parents cite alarming assignments brought home by students. The report suggests that districts should publish curriculum guides, reading lists, and assignments on searchable websites to allow for informed oversight.

Publishing these materials would allow school boards to weigh objections and defend instructional choices without requiring congressional intervention for every district. The report emphasizes that most instructional materials already exist in electronic format and can be made accessible without creating new administrative burdens. It concludes that parents should not need to enlist Congress or rely on anonymous insiders to verify what their children are learning in public schools.