By Laura Kostin
Students from two Greenwich middle schools are scheduled to depart on overnight excursions to a picturesque camp facility in Great Barrington, Massachusetts as part of a program called Outdoor Classroom. The trips are taking place as planned despite concerns raised by some parents about Israeli flags on display at the location, which is a Jewish sleepaway during the summer months.
Eisner Camp, where the field trips are taking place is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism, however the Outdoor Classroom program currently operating at the site is not.
A statement from the “Concerned Greenwich Parents,” said, “We are writing as a collective of Greenwich parents regarding Central Middle School’s upcoming 6th-grade Outdoor Classroom trip to Eisner Camp, and to request a district-wide policy regarding venue selection moving forward. After observing political signage in an orientation video shown to families, parents looked deeper into the venue and were alarmed to discover the site’s connections to IDF youth military drills and training. We fully recognize and appreciate that school leadership was unaware of these ties and selected the facility with the best of intentions to foster peer relationships and learning. Since May 15th of this year, we have corresponded and met with school and district leadership to request that all political symbols be removed and, time permitting, that the trip be relocated to another venue. Unfortunately, we have not received confirmation that either request can be guaranteed. Displaying national or political symbols-and utilizing a site associated with foreign military drills—creates serious security concerns, causes profound distress for Palestinian and Arab students, and burdens families who do not want their children at a venue tied to foreign military activities. Asking families to opt out inappropriately deprives children of an important shared educational experience. Because comparable regional facilities with similar capacity and offerings exist, we hope to work together to ensure political symbols are removed for this trip, and to guarantee that this location
and similar sites are excluded from future district programming so every student can
participate safely, comfortably, and with dignity.”
Farhan Memon, Chairperson at the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)
CT said, “The analogy we would draw is we would not expect parents to send their children to attend a camp that flew the confederate flag because we know how offensive it would be. Having the venue be a camp where the Israeli flag is flown and one that is
engaged in youth training activities affiliated with the IDF is similarly problematic.”
In response, the Greenwich Public Schools 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. 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.”
Outdoor Classroom’s website says its “mission is to lead transformative learning experiences that help teachers foster self-discovery and natural curiosity in their students.”
Reached for comment, Eisner Camp said, “Eisner Camp proudly displays an Israeli flag and proudly offers opportunities for individuals to build a meaningful relationship with Israel. We welcome many groups into our space throughout the year, and we expect all visitors to treat our community with respect.”