Jewish Students Expelled from Virginia School Amid Harassment Claims

Three Jewish students were expelled from a Virginia school after their parents raised concerns about the school’s inadequate response to ongoing anti-Semitic harassment, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.

One of the 11-year-old students at Nysmith School endured what was described as “severe and widespread” harassment because of her Jewish identity. Reports indicate that peers referred to Jews as “baby killers” and stated they “deserve to die for what’s going on in Gaza.” When the girl’s parents approached the principal regarding these incidents, they reportedly heard that their daughter needed to “strengthen” herself prior to her mid-semester expulsion.

Nysmith School, located in Herndon, Virginia, has been recognized as one of the top schools globally by Johns Hopkins University’s gifted youth center. The school also takes pride in its standardized test scores, claiming to consistently rank in the top 2% across the country since 2000.

The school had not provided any comments when asked by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Furthermore, the lawsuit alleged that the school itself may have facilitated an anti-Semitic atmosphere. For instance, students in a sixth-grade history class were reportedly assigned to create drawings of “strong historical leaders,” which included depictions of Adolf Hitler that were later circulated within the community.

Additionally, the school’s owner and principal supposedly displayed a Palestinian flag in the gym following earlier reports of harassment incidents from parents. Following these complaints, the annual Holocaust Memorial Program was canceled due to worries that the event might aggravate tensions within the Nysmith community, especially in light of the Israel-Gaza conflict, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit asserts that the school leadership has shown a “deliberate indifference” toward significant discrimination issues and demands that the institution participate in formal anti-discrimination training.

Since the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, there have been increasing incidents of anti-Semitism reported in schools and on university campuses. Some institutions are facing federal investigations for allegedly allowing or even encouraging anti-Semitic events.