Beaverton school board member Tammy Carpenter is set to be the subject of a third-party investigation following social media posts regarding the Israel-Hamas war. (File photo)

Beaverton school board member Tammy Carpenter is set to be the subject of a third-party investigation following social media posts regarding the Israel-Hamas war.

Carpenter has written and shared several posts on her Instagram account calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East and for Israel to “stop the genocide.” Carpenter’s Instagram lists her as a member of the Beaverton school board but states the views expressed are her own.

Carpenter’s comments have drawn sharp criticism. In one of 13 complaints to the district, Bob Horenstein, chief community relations and public affairs officer for the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, said Carpenter’s “activism and hateful rhetoric” have borne a hostile environment in the Beaverton School District.

“For the past year and a half, we have been alarmed to observe Tammy Carpenter’s constant anti-Israel activism, often crossing a line into outright antisemitism,” Horenstein said. 

Horenstein said Carpenter’s comments “make Jewish families and students, especially those who are Israeli-born, feel marginalized, alienated and unsafe.” 

Other complaints were along similar lines, accusing Carpenter’s remarks of being antisemitic, offensive and discriminatory: “We hold (Beaverton School District) leadership personally accountable for any bullying, or God forbid, acts of aggression against our children,” one person wrote to the district.

After 13 community members filed complaints to the school district between May 16 and May 27 — seven of them on the same day — the school board on Thursday, May 29, voted 5-2 for a third-party investigation into Carpenter. The opposition votes were from Carpenter, who did not recuse herself from the vote, and board member Ugonna Enyinnaya. 

Carpenter: Israel-Hamas war not just ‘over there’ situation

Numerous screenshots of Carpenter’s social media activity were shared with school administrators, including a condemnation of the Hamas-led attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and calls for an end to Israeli bombings of Gaza.

“This conflict is not just an ‘over there’ situation. It is impacting facilities right here in Beaverton — From losing family members in the conflict to the rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism,” Carpenter wrote in a post to Instagram dated Jan. 11, 2024.

Many of these posts were accompanied with the hashtag “ceasefirenow.” She similarly shared Instagram Stories, which typically disappear after 24 hours, as recently as June 2, encouraging people to attend a “solidarity Shabbat” in Portland titled “Stop Starving Gaza” and calling to “end the genocide.”

While not addressing her posts specifically, Carpenter defended her support of students in her role as a board member. 

“As a mother, doctor, and policymaker, I remain committed to ensuring that every student in our district feels safe, seen, and supported,” Carpenter wrote to the Beaverton Valley Times. “In these uncertain times, marked by federal challenges and global crises, it’s more crucial than ever that we stand steadfast in our dedication to the wellbeing of all our students.” 

What happens next

Horenstein told the Beaverton Valley Times that he was pleased to see the vote in favor of the investigation.

“What we’ve been seeing from Miss Carpenter has been going on now for a year and a half. It’s free speech, but we’re saying it’s irresponsible speech that could harm others, that’s the main point.” 

Neither school board Chair Karen Perez-Da Silva nor the school district offered further comment on the investigation. It is not clear who is conducting the investigation or when it would conclude. 

“I will work with counsel to determine a third-party investigator and share the complaint documents with them so they can proceed with their investigation,” Perez-Da Silva said after last week’s vote. “We’ll bring that information back to the board when that is ready.”

The Beaverton school board will hold its next regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday evening, June  2. A rally for “free speech on Palestine in our schools,” organized by the Portland Democratic Socialists of America group, is slated for 6:30 p.m. outside the district administrative office.