The University of Toronto hosted a controversial conference in 2008 during Israeli Apartheid Week, organized by a group called High Schools Against Israel Apartheid. The event was closed to adults, including teachers, parents, and media, raising concerns about the discussions led by anti-Zionist activists. This marked a significant shift in targeting younger audiences, as the group sought to influence high school students.

Since then, Ontario schools have increasingly become venues for promoting anti-Zionism and pro-Palestinian sentiments. Critics argue that this trend has led to the normalization of Islamic exceptionalism, which is reflected in school activities and curricula. For instance, on October 7, Earl Haig Secondary School in Toronto played the national anthem in Arabic, despite warnings from former Education Minister Jill Dunlop to avoid politicizing the classroom. The principal defended the decision as part of Canadian Islamic History Month, but critics felt it overlooked the significance of the date for Jewish students.

In another incident, the York Region District School Board organized a field trip to a mosque during Islamic Heritage Month. Parents were not informed that the trip would include a recitation from the Qur'an, leading to public outcry and the cancellation of the activity. The Jewish Educators and Family Association (JEFA) expressed disappointment, especially in light of a previous field trip that was criticized for being a pro-Hamas protest disguised as an educational event.

JEFA has raised alarms about the educational materials being used in schools, noting that parents often do not scrutinize what their children bring home. With the decline of traditional textbooks, teachers have significant discretion in selecting videos and other resources, some of which may promote anti-Semitic views. One example is a website that claims to identify Indigenous territories but refers to Jerusalem as "Palestine," which JEFA argues perpetuates a false narrative about Palestinian indigeneity.

This website has gained traction not only in Ontario but also among educators in the United States, as the National Education Association promoted it to its members. Following JEFA's exposure of the site's content, partnerships with organizations like Historica Canada and Smithsonian Magazine were terminated. JEFA founder Tamara Gottlieb stated that the myth of Palestinian indigeneity is embedded in Ontario's curriculum, starting from Grade 3. She described the situation as a "whack-a-mole" challenge for parents trying to monitor their children's educational resources.