Public schools in both Philadelphia and Los Angeles are facing scrutiny over allegations that educators used classroom and student activities to push politics on controversial topics, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The cases have raised fresh concerns among advocates about the infiltration of political activism in education.

The House Education and Workforce Committee found in Philadelphia that district curricula endorsed "ideology justifying violent resistance and legitimize radical groups that incite antisemitism." Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, the school district substantiated 11 allegations involving teachers at Canoga Park High School, finding that they promoted one-sided views about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Jewish Insider reported. The complaints were brought by the North American Values Institute, or NAVI.

"NAVI is very active in tracking what extremists are doing in education. And so, when we started seeing Code Pink do webinars discussing sort of what they were up to in Los Angeles County schools, we paid very close attention," NAVI Government Affairs Director Clifford Smith told Fox News Digital. 

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"When we saw that they were making plans to basically directly insert, you know, very politicized... far, far, far-left propaganda directly in the classrooms, we wanted to act because we knew that, you know, at least according to the rules of the school district, that shouldn't happen," Smith said. 

The Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD) investigation found that high school teachers had been giving one-sided lessons on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including a lesson on the "martyrs of Gaza," according to Jewish Insider. The outlet noted that the investigation also revealed that teachers had been recruiting students to join the anti-Israel group Students for Justice in Palestine.

Following the investigation, LAUSD adopted several corrective measures, including removing political materials from classes, restructuring curricula and requiring staff training on antisemitism and political advocacy rules, according to Jewish Insider.

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Corey DeAngelis, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said the corrective measures did not address what he described as the broader culture behind the allegations.

"Legal remedies and corrective actions do not fix the root of the problem," DeAngelis told Fox News Digital. "Removing materials, restructuring some curricula, and requiring training marks a step in the right direction. Yet the underlying bias, ideology, and hostile environment remain embedded in the public school system as long as the same staff, the same culture, and the same monopoly persist."

Tina Descovich, CEO and co-founder of Moms for Liberty, said the findings in Los Angeles were "deeply troubling."

"Teachers actively pushed antisemitic viewpoints and anti-Israel prejudice on young, impressionable children," Descovich told Fox News Digital. "This should never happen in America. And yet not only is it occurring daily, but teachers unions are actively running cover for it."

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Smith said the issue was not whether teachers discussed the conflict, but rather how they presented it.

"Now, I have no problem teaching both sides of any conflict. I do have a problem with anybody teaching entirely one side of a conflict without teaching the others or entirely one side of the debate without teaching the other sides of the debate," Smith told Fox News Digital.

In Philadelphia, according to the congressional committee, students were asked as part of a world history unit to create artwork that "embodies the concept of cultural resistance." The committee's report also stated that students were taught the definition of "settler colonialism," which was described as having "taken place across many areas throughout the world."

The committee also found that students were instructed to "honor" a resistance movement of their choosing. The list of movements provided to the students included the Great March of Return, a Hamas campaign that included deadly clashes.

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, the School District of Philadelphia said, "Antisemitism has no place in our schools, and we take concerns about antisemitic harassment or discrimination very seriously, just as we do not condone or tolerate Islamophobia, racism, or discrimination against any ethnic, racial or religious group."

Additionally, the School District of Philadelphia provided a statement from the Board of Education to Fox News Digital, stating that it disagrees with the committee's report and remains "committed to fostering school climates where all students and staff feel supported and safe."

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During a September interview with the House Education and Workforce Committee, Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia Dr. Tony B. Watlington said that controversial topics had to be addressed in ways that are "age appropriate and consistent with our belief that we teach students how to think and not what to think."

For some Jewish families, the handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict expanded beyond the classroom and into the general school environment.

Nataliya, a mother whose children go to school in the Philadelphia metro area, told Fox News Digital that it was important to her that her children grew up in a place where they could feel safe being openly Jewish.

"Being safe as a Jew and being safe to be a Jew was very important to me because of my background," Nataliya, who is a Jewish immigrant from the Soviet Union, told Fox News Digital. She added that she and her husband agreed to live in an area with strong public schools where their children could be comfortable being Jewish. However, things changed after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, according to Nataliya.

Nataliya said that two of her middle-school-aged son's teachers, who happened to be Jewish, claimed that they, independent of each other, opted for old Q&A sessions in their classrooms after Oct. 7 and both were reprimanded. She said the teacher informed her that they had been "told they were not allowed to say anything about October 7 or to answer any questions if they ask them anything."

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After that, Nataliya and her husband decided to move their son to a Jewish private school. They decided that their daughter would finish elementary school before moving to a private school.

Nataliya's decision to move her son out of public school is one that Sydney Altfield, CEO of Teach Coalition, said she is hearing from other Jewish families as well.

"When antisemitism is going on in public schools, students feel unsafe and we know this happens. Students feel unsafe there, and they flee to Jewish day schools," Altfield told Fox News Digital.

She explained that, while Jewish private schools, often referred to as "day schools," are expensive, communities and schools will often come together to help families with the financial burden. However, there is another cost that Jewish schools have faced: security.

"We found that schools after October 7 are spending over $400,000 a year on security funding. So all of these things add up... and it really is a domino effect," Altfield said. "When kids are feeling unsafe in a public school, and they choose to move to a Jewish day school, costs for that day school go up. Support for that community goes up. It's really a long-term effect, and we track all of this – enrollment tuition, security expenses, everything."

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Altfield, whose organization focuses on private schools, told Fox News Digital that she did not think that antisemitism would reach these levels in her lifetime.

"We are living in an alternate universe of the world that I grew up in, in the world that, you know, we all want to grow up in," she said, adding that the issue of antisemitism is on both sides of the political aisle. 

"We must do everything to stop it, and if that means we have to build more Jewish day schools to keep ourselves safe, then we're going to make sure that our community is safe no matter what," Atfield said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to LAUSD for comment but did not immediately hear back. 

One person was killed and at least six others were injured in a shooting at a Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, California, on Friday evening, the eve of Halloween.

The Fairfield Police Department said officers responded to reports of a shooting around 8:30 p.m. local time at the Spirit Halloween store inside the Solano Town Center shopping mall.

Police confirmed that seven people suffered gunshot wounds, including one who later died from their injuries.

The six surviving victims were taken to local hospitals, with at least three in critical condition, according to police.

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Authorities did not immediately release the identities of the victims.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this heartbreaking incident," police said in a statement.

Police did not immediately provide information about a suspect or suspects, but said detectives were working with witnesses to identify those responsible.

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No arrests had been announced in connection with the shooting.

The incident remains under investigation, police said.

Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Fairfield Police Department at 707-428-7600 or email 1030mall@fairfield.ca.gov.

Suisun City Mayor Alma Hernandez, whose city neighbors Fairfield, also responded to the shooting, expressing concern for the victims and their families.

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"Please join us in praying for the victims and their families, and for the officers working to bring the suspect into custody," Hernandez said.

One month after she and her husband were arrested for the alleged murder of their trans New York Times executive son-in-law, Shili Chen claims in new legal documents that her husband is the one to blame, according to reports.

Shili Chen, 77, and Shouyong Zhang were arrested Sept. 26 for allegedly shooting Jonathan McKinsey, 40, in a crowded park in Dublin, California.

In a new bail filing, Chen’s lawyers claim the 77-year-old watched her husband fire the fatal shots at McKinsey at the Dublin Sports Grounds from inside her car, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

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Her lawyer, Curtis Briggs, argued that Chen only got out of the car "to protect her husband from what she feared was an assault by Mr. McKinsey," the California Post reported.

She was allegedly seen on surveillance video firing a gun at McKinsey after Zhang fired the shots that killed him.

Chen’s lawyers argued she was kept "in the dark" while Zhang planned McKinsey’s murder.

Zhang allegedly admitted to the fatal shooting just days after when video footage of the attack was shown to him, court documents obtained by Fox News Digital showed.

Zhang told police he asked his wife to drive to the park but didn’t explain why, according to the Chronicle.

Prosecutors accused the couple of "lying in wait" at the park for McKinsey before the shooting, but her lawyer claims there isn’t enough evidence to prove that.

That special circumstance has been used to hold the couple without bail.

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Both Chen and Zhang are asking for pretrial release.

In a separate filing, Zhang’s public defender argued that he didn’t pose a threat because of his age and health and because the shooting was an isolated family incident.

Chen’s lawyer argues that she wasn’t the "actual killer" since she shot McKinsey when he was already dead.

Several 911 callers reported gunfire at the Dublin Sports Grounds before a Dublin Police Services sergeant arrived and found McKinsey lying face up with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses pointed police toward a black Honda Civic leaving the parking lot, leading officers to conduct a high-risk traffic stop nearby, the filings state.

Chen was driving and allegedly had a firearm in her possession when she was detained, while Zhang was in the passenger seat.

Three witnesses identified Chen and Zhang as the shooters, while surveillance video allegedly captured the couple opening fire "in concert" on McKinsey.

Police said the couple started shooting in a crowded park's parking lot with "blatant disregard for public safety," even as several children were nearby.

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Police later searched the Honda and recovered a second firearm that Zhang allegedly admitted using in the shooting.

The complaint alleges the killing involved "great violence" and acts showing a "high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness." Prosecutors also allege both defendants were armed or used a weapon during the killing.

McKinsey's killing came amid a bitter divorce and custody battle with Chen and Zhang's daughter, Candice Jang.

McKinsey accused Chen of directing anti-LGBTQ slurs at him and one of his children and alleged Zhang struck him in the chest while he was recovering from double mastectomy surgery, The Mercury News reported. Jang made competing allegations of domestic violence and child abuse against McKinsey, which he disputed.

Fox News Digital reviewed court dockets showing McKinsey and Jang were locked in multiple legal battles when McKinsey was killed, including competing domestic violence restraining order cases, a child custody dispute and a pending divorce.

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Jang sought a domestic violence restraining order against McKinsey in October 2025, while McKinsey filed his own request two months later. The competing domestic violence matters were headed toward a three-day hearing in December.

McKinney, Texas, is ground zero for the migration of voters from California to Texas over the past several years. On Election Day, it is these newcomers who may well tip the balance not just in the Senate and governor's races.

They may also decide whether the once ruby red Lone Star State will continue to grow bluer.

I met Oren at The Celt on the picture-postcard town square, where we played a friendly game of pool. He moved from California about a year ago "because it’s a lot cheaper to live" but is voting for Democrats because he believes that Texas needs "more social services and public transit" and more support for transgender kids.

When I gently tried to press Oren on the apparent illogic of moving away from a high-tax, big-government blue state for reasons of cost only to vote to make his new home a high-tax, big-government state, he was unmoved, almost arguing that real California progressivism has never been tried.

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It turns out that Oren was not as much of an outlier as I had expected because, not long after, I met Daniel, who works at a local restaurant and moved to McKinney a few years ago with his best friend and girlfriend to start a business. He has also proudly brought his politics with him.

"It’s in the Constitution," Daniel told Fox News Digital. "We can go anywhere we want. It's meant to be that way."

When I asked him if he could understand why so many people born and raised in Texas are worried about transplants changing its politics, he shrugged and said, "Things change."

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In the space of about five hours, I met two more refugees from California prepared to keep voting for Democrats. Like Oren and Daniel, they really did not see any irony in the fact that they may be recreating in Texas exactly the conditions they escaped in California.

The natives, however, do see the problem with the Californication of Texas. Terry, a longtime local in her 60s, told me, "I love to see the growth, and there’s a lot of it, but if they bring Democratic politics with them, then we stand to lose the whole thing bringing people here."

Clint, who was in town from his home just on the other side of the Oklahoma border, is worried not just about Texas turning blue through domestic migration, but even about the Sooner State eventually turning blue.

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"I cannot comprehend why someone would move from a state because there’s high taxes and then come down here and vote for high taxes. I just can’t comprehend it," Clint told Fox News Digital. "And I’ve asked them to explain it to me, but they just cuss me out."

Thankfully, nobody cussed out this columnist for asking, but Clint is correct that the liberal transplants see no problem with transforming the red states they arrive in into blue states, and it's not just Texas.

Arizona and even Montana have seen influxes of liberal California voters. West Virginians have similar fears regarding their neighbors to the south in Northern Virginia, who are also attracted by the low taxes and cost of living.

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In Texas, there is a kind of double-pincer political invasion because, along with the Cali converts, unchecked immigration — illegal and otherwise — over decades has also pushed the needle left in the state. This is, in a nutshell, the new Democratic Party coalition: wealthy, college-educated Whites and immigrants.

The bottom line for Republicans — not just in Texas but in many red states — is that Americans are moving at stunning rates to cheaper states, which almost always means Republican states. The good news is that red states stand to gain in the Electoral College and in Congress after the next census, but that won’t matter if Democrats take them over.

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Between now and then, and especially on Tuesday, "Don’t you turn my red state blue" has to be the mantra of the GOP. If Texas falls this time, then anywhere can, and that is exactly what the Democrats moving to red states are hoping for and creating.