At a two-hour House hearing Wednesday on antisemitism in public schools, the New York City schools chief, David C. Banks, made one thing very clear: He was ready to fight.

In an unyielding and fiery tone, Banks challenged lawmakers and questioned their versions of events. He forcefully denied accusations that the district had poorly responded to hateful incidents. And in several heated exchanges, he unapologetically spoke over members of the House as they asked questions.

As the leader of the nation’s largest school system, Banks also acknowledged — often — that hate speech and harassment are a major problem for the district. He told members of an education subcommittee in the House that officials have disciplined about a dozen staff members and school leaders, and suspended at least 30 students.

But Banks also seemed unafraid of wading into a sustained back-and-forth with lawmakers that many witnesses generally seek to avoid when testifying before Congress. In doing so, he sidestepped some of the pitfalls that have haunted college presidents called to give their own testimony before House Republicans on antisemitism. The presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania were accused of being too cautious and lawyerly late last year, while the president of Columbia University was criticized by some for being too conciliatory in a hearing last month.

At the center of several exchanges Wednesday between Banks and Republicans was a high-profile demonstration at Hillcrest High School in Queens in the fall, during which students filled the halls in a raucous protest after a Jewish educator posted a message of support for Israel on social media.

House Republicans questioned Banks multiple times over the episode. Banks told them that the principal at Hillcrest had been removed from the school but acknowledged that he still worked in the main offices of the city’s Education Department.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., whose questioning of college presidents at an earlier hearing gained millions of views on social media, interrogated him over the decision not to fire the former principal outright. But even she could not seem to crack Banks’ composure.

“You said you fired the principal,” Stefanik said, urging him to “check the testimony.”

“I never said I fired the principal of Hillcrest — you check the record,” Banks countered.

(Both were, to some degree, technically correct. Stefanik’s colleague, Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., had asked, “So you fired the people?” Banks replied, “Yes, we remove people, absolutely.” )

The chancellor’s demeanor stood in stark contrast to last month’s congressional testimony by Columbia University’s president, who at times sought to placate lawmakers. That approach won some praise, including by at least one Republican. But back home, she faced intense blowback and an escalating crisis.

Banks chose a different playbook.

At one point, Rep. Brandon Williams, R-N.Y., scolded the chancellor for failing to take stronger action after the demonstration at Hillcrest, the school Banks attended in the 1970s. Williams said that the former leader of the school, which the congressman described as “open season on Jews high school,” should have no place in local education.

“How can Jewish students feel safe?” Williams asked. “How can Jewish students go to school knowing that he is still on your payroll?”

“I know whose payroll it is,” Banks shot back.

“And it’s not ‘open season on Jews’ school,” the chancellor continued, defending his alma mater. “It’s called Hillcrest High School.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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