State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced that registration is open for the second annual School Leadership to End Hate Winter Institute, co-hosted by the California Department of Education and the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education.

The second annual School Leadership to End Hate Institute, “School Leadership to End Hate and Inspire Courage,” will take place on March 2 in Sacramento.

The announcement comes amid a continued nationwide rise in antisemitism and hate, which has reverberated in California and includes a recent incident at Branham High School in San Jose where students formed a “human swastika” on a school field and posted it to social media with a 1939 quote from Adolf Hitler.

“The incident at Branham High School is a horrendous act that is appalling on every level. We must all condemn this clear instance of hate speech, which threatens the safety of students and staff alike,” Thurmond said. “We must prevent our young people from being co-opted by hate groups, and we must protect our schools as learning environments where students of all backgrounds, including our Jewish students, are safe to learn and thrive.”

Thurmond’s Education to End Hate Initiative includes outreach directly to district superintendents to offer resources in the aftermath of hateful or discriminatory actions such as the incident at Branham High School.

Thurmond first launched the Education to End Hate Initiative to combat bias, bigotry and racism in September 2020. Since that time, Education to End Hate has expanded to directly address rising antisemitism and all forms of hate. 

“Educators are often asked to hold difficult history alongside present-day realities, and moments like this can feel especially heavy,” said Morgan Blum Schneider, director of the JFCS Holocaust Center, who leads the work of the California Teachers Collaborative. “We want California teachers and administrators alike to know that they are not alone. The California Teachers Collaborative is a statewide network for our school communities, whether they are addressing an immediate crisis or planning long-term strategies to foster understanding and confront antisemitism and hate.”

The CDE and the California Teachers Collaborative invite local educational agencies to send teams of educators, including administrators and teachers, to the School Leadership to End Hate Institute. Teams are encouraged to apply early, as registration for the first School Leadership to End Hate Institute quickly filled to capacity.

California schools and districts serving grades 6-12 are encouraged to apply by visiting holocaustcenter.jfcs.org/winter-institute-2026.