Editor’s note: David Banks delivered a sobering message about his response to the Hillcrest High School protest

New York City schools Chancellor David Banks, like other school leaders, has been put to the test by student protests over the Israel-Hamas war. And for Banks, it was even personal, after a protest erupted at Hillcrest High School in Jamaica, Queens, his alma mater. 

The Nov. 27 demonstration targeted a pro-Israel teacher and quickly escalated into a riot. Banks promised disciplinary action for the agitators, but also was open to understand what students were trying to process. “It is because of the routinization of school that we don’t meet the moments and the challenges. Many of you may have read the papers about Hillcrest High School in Queens … it’s shameful and it’s not acceptable. And yet I have to help kids understand how they have to think differently,” Banks said at last week’s 2023 New York City Employment and Training Coalition Conference, co-hosted by City & State.

“And the students were telling me, we’re watching all the stuff on social media every day, and then we come to school and nobody talks about it, because the adults are all scared. Nobody wants to be accused of being antisemitic. Nobody wants to be accused of saying anything Islamophobic. So we play it safe. And so my point is, what the kids are demanding is relevance. So meet the moment. Don’t just do school. Schooling is different from education,” he added. The chancellor lived up to his own words by holding accountable those who chose to act out negatively, while showing sensitivity for youth who simply want to take a stand for what they believe is right. Yes chancellor, you are correct to say that schooling is different from education. Thank you.