A classroom mural painted in 2022 by a Palestinian immigrant in Xenia Schools was painted over after a parent's complaint reached the district, touching off a student walkout and a packed school board meeting on Monday, Nov. 2. Attendees clashed over whether the removal was justified, with some calling it a violation of free speech and others backing the district's decision.
People packed into the Xenia School Board meeting after the mural was removed from a classroom, according to WDTN.com. Many who spoke out claimed the removal was a violation of the First Amendment, while others in the room supported the district's decision, the station reported. The same meeting produced another significant vote: the board approved a resolution to define antisemitism in Xenia Schools, per the station's report.
District spokeswoman Kristy Creel said the mural was removed after board member Tyler Scott brought it to the district's attention, according to the Dayton Daily News. A school board member filed an incident report to have the mural removed after a parent complained, the same outlet reported.
Accounts Differ on How Many Murals Were Removed
The Dayton Daily News reported that the mural, which was on an art room classroom wall next to two other murals — one of a tree and another of handprints — was painted over along with both neighboring murals. WHIO offered a different account, reporting that a sophomore at the school told its reporters that two other murals were also removed, though the station said it was still working to confirm that detail.
Roughly 30 Xenia High School students walked out of the building on Oct. 26 to protest the removal of the art-room murals, according to The Xenia Gazette. Students told the Dayton Daily News they planned to hold another protest following that walkout. WHIO also covered the walkout, describing it as a protest over a mural that students viewed as having been deemed too political.
A Pattern Playing Out Beyond Xenia
The dispute in Xenia echoes similar fights elsewhere over campus murals tied to Palestinian imagery. An Ohio appeals court recently allowed a lawsuit over Case Western Reserve University's removal of a pro-Palestine mural to proceed, sending the case back to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, according to Legal Newsline. That case involved the university's decision to cover the so-called Spirit Wall, which students had painted on May 6, 2024.
A similar fight has also surfaced in New York, where a high school student identified in court submissions as Jane Khan sued her district after it partially painted over a pro-Palestinian mural she had painted in a parking bay, The Jewish Chronicle reported. No legal ruling has been established in the Xenia case, and the exact scope and implementation of the board's newly approved antisemitism resolution has not been detailed publicly.
