Greenwich parents raise concerns over Israeli flags and yellow ribbons marking the October 7th “Israeli military experience” at site for middle school field trip

GREENWICH — Some Greenwich parents are asking the school district to have Israeli flags and other displays removed at a Massachusetts camp before sixth graders arrive for an overnight field trip next week, saying the symbols could make some students uncomfortable.

The four-day, three-night trip will take the middle school students to Eisner Camp, a Jewish sleepaway camp that rents its facilities to Outdoor Classroom, the organization running the program.

In a joint statement Tuesday, the parents said they saw what they called “political signage” in an orientation video and asked the district to remove the displays for the field trip or, “time permitting,” relocate the trip to another venue. The parents also requested the district create a policy for choosing future field trip sites.

Farhan Memon, chair of the [designated terror organization] Council on American-Islamic Relations in Connecticut, also sent a letter to Greenwich school Superintendent Toni Jones, urging the district to find another location.

The parents and Memon raised the issue in the context of the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, with Memon writing to Jones, “The concerns raised must be understood in the context of the devastation inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza.”

Memon said in his letter that parents noticed Israeli flags and yellow ribbons “prominently displayed” on the camp’s grounds in the video. According to The Associated Press, the yellow ribbons serve as a symbol to remember the hostages taken by Hamas during an attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

“For Palestinian children whose families have experienced displacement, injury or bereavement, a venue displaying Israeli national symbols and associated with Israeli military experiences [bolding added] can evoke profound distress,” Memon wrote in his letter. “The district should not require those families to disregard that context as the price of participating in a school trip.”

Superintendent Toni Jones to these Muslim “concerned parents” : “Go Pound Sand”. I’d have been ruder.

Greenwich Public Schools confirmed Wednesday that the field trip will still take place at Eisner Camp. In a statement, the district said, “We appreciate the feedback we have received from some of our families with sixth grade students as two of our middle schools prepare for one of their most important trips that fosters self-discovery, teamwork and adventure. We have listened to their concerns and we sincerely appreciate their sentiment.”

“We have made it clear to these families that we will not take a political or religious stand,” the district continued. “We will, however, provide an inclusive and safe educational environment for all Greenwich Public School students, including when they are on field trips under our care. Greenwich Public Schools has a working relationship with an organization that provides non-affiliated experiences for children, and they contract the venue space uniquely designed for high-quality outdoor learning,”

Outdoor Classroom provides “an immersive learning experience” that focuses on environmental science, social-emotional learning and adventure education during its overnight programming, according to its website. Outdoor Classroom uses different venues across the Northeast for this program.

“Outdoor Classroom is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment for students and staff. We partner with camps throughout New England, including camps with and without religious affiliations, to provide students with immersive, hands-on learning experiences,” said a Wednesday statement from Outdoor Classroom.

Eisner Camp, which is a part of the Union for Reform Judaism, is one of the sites rented by Outdoor Classroom.

“We welcome Outdoor Classroom to use our camp facilities,” said Paul Isserles, director of Eisner Camp, in a statement Wednesday.

“Throughout the year, many outside organizations rent our facilities for various programs. URJ Eisner Camp is proud to have an Israeli flag displayed for our camp program,” he said.

In his letter to Jones, Memon asked the district to seek an alternative location for the field trip.

“The district has an opportunity to resolve this constructively: preserve the Outdoor Classroom experience while choosing settings that allow every child, in every school, to participate with confidence and dignity,” he said.

Jones responded to Memon, and included a leader at Greenwich Reform Synagogue in her emailed response. “I chose to email all of you together as this reflects how our community operates as a considerate and respectful community,” she said.

“In regards to the Outdoor Classroom experience for two of our middle schools, there is no political or religious activity whatsoever,” she said. “The venue where our students will travel to in Massachusetts is a campsite which hosts a variety of their own camps (mainly in the summer months), and also contracts their site out for other companies who seek a unique venue for students to have an outdoor experience which cannot be provided otherwise. In our situation, we contract with Outdoor Classroom, who runs the multi-day experience as an independent organization, along with the support of our Greenwich Public School teachers and staff. Our GPS staff also come from a wide variety of backgrounds.”

Jones added that “this trip is a highlight of the year for many of our sixth grade students and they are excited to follow in the path of older brothers and sisters who also had this wonderful outdoor experience.”

Next year’s camping experience, Insha’Allah: