(RNS) — Since Oct. 7, 2023, Jewish students, from kindergarten through high school and on college campuses, have reported rising antisemitism, social isolation and fear. Muslim and Arab students have likewise described harassment, suspicion and grief. All of these young people have witnessed the horrors of the Middle East conflict unfold on their phones, where extreme narratives and graphic images fracture friendships and harden identities. The instinct in some communities has been to pull back: avoid the topic, protect students, keep school “neutral.” But silence is neither neutral nor protective. Avoidance can deepen the very divisions educators hope to prevent.  Over the past year, our team at the newly launched Or Initiative at Chapman University has interviewed more than 75 middle and high school students across Jewish day, independent and public schools, along with educators and school leaders. We examined how young people are making sense of the Israel-Palestine conflict and other contentious issues in digital environments saturated with incomplete and emotionally charged claims. Our findings, released in “Coming of Age in Polarized Times: Teaching …