East Lansing Public Schools backed a resolution calling for an immediate bilateral ceasefire in Gaza and Israel.
The school board unanimously passed the resolution Monday night, which supports the release of all hostages in the conflict and condemns hate speech.
Board Treasurer Kath Edsall first introduced the resolution in May, saying students in the district are being personally impacted by the war.
“We have students in our school district from Palestine and we have students in our school from Israel, who are Jewish and who are Muslim,” she said.
At that board meeting, Edsall said she had waited for months in hopes for the conflict to resolve, but argued local communities also need to speak up.
“It’s not going to go away on its own, and the more of us speak up and speak out, the more we can continue to pressure our governments to get in there and bring this travesty to an end.”
The East Lansing resolution was approved the same week the United Nations Security Council endorsed a U.S.-sponsored ceasefire proposal.
Edsall said she has been reassured to see those conversations.
“I am excited to see today that there is some movement … that there is some promise of a ceasefire, transfer of hostages, peace and rebuilding.”
The document also requests a copy of the resolution be sent to state and federal representatives as well as the East Lansing City Council, which voted down a ceasefire resolution earlier this year.
East Lansing Public Schools joins other districts in the state in passing a ceasefire resolution. The Ann Arbor school district became the first to do so in January.