B.C. school district apologizes for asking students, 'Should Israel exist?'

An empty classroom is shown in a file photo. (Getty Images)

The Burnaby School District superintendent has issued an apology and launched an investigation after a Grade 6/7 class was presented with a question regarding the existence of Israel.

The question reads as follows:

“Some believe that Jewish people deserve or need a homeland (Israel) while others believe that Israel should not exist.”

Students were asked to give a perspective on whether Israel should or should not exist.

The question was shared online and circulated via social media.

On Monday, Karim Hachlaf provided the following statement via the Burnaby School Distirct website.

"Regardless of intention, the question is deeply concerning and could be trauma-inducing for students, and particularly Jewish children. I am grateful to the family of one of the students in the class for raising this. On behalf of the Burnaby School District, I apologize. As a district, we are taking steps to address the harm.”

Rachna Singh, B.C.’s minister of education and child care, told CTV News she supports the concerned parents coming forward with the issue.

“I expect the school district to thoroughly investigate this matter,” said Singh via an emailed statement. “I am grateful that these concerns were raised so they could be addressed by the district and I encourage any parent who has questions about their kids’ education to reach out to their child’s school principal.”

Singh added that she supports the district’s response to meet with the concerned families and review the lessons to ensure they’re age-appropriate.  

The district said plans are underway to reach out to Jewish community organizations to "determine any additional care and support that might be of benefit."

Also, the district says it will work with K-12 administrators to "reinforce use of appropriate learning resources within our schools."

The district did not specify the school at which the incident occurred.

  A screen grab from social media shows a question posed to students in Burnaby, B.C.