NYC Department of Education among districts under investigation for antisemitism, Islamophobia
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The New York City Department of Education is now under investigation for complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobia.
The department is the latest target by the federal Department of Education in the wake of the crisis in the Mideast.
There are now nine schools or districts across the country that are under investigation, including Columbia University, Cornell University and The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
The investigation is based under Title IV, a law that bans discrimination based on shared ancestry.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona warned that with complaints on the rise, there will continue to be more investigations.
It is possible, in the worst case scenario, that the schools could lose federal funding.
"The goal is not to punish students by withdrawing money from universities, that's never the goal," Cardona told ABC News. "The goal is to create safe learning environments and I'm committed as Secretary of Education to work with presidents, to work with superintendents, to make sure they have the tools that they need, the resources that they need, and the direction that they need. I don't anticipate it going there. Ultimately, removal of federal dollars is something that can happen, but that would require someone to refuse to create safe learning environments. That's not the culture that we have on our campuses."
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