U.S. Education Department to Investigate Alleged Antisemitic Harassment in Southern California School District
The U.S. Department of Education will probe claims of antisemitic bullying at the Etiwanda School District after civil-rights groups filed a complaint.
The Louis D. Brandeis Center, the Anti-Defamation League and StandWithUs have lodged a complaint prompting the U.S. Department of Education to investigate alleged antisemitic conduct in the Etiwanda School District, which serves about 14,000 students across 17 schools in Southern California. The grievance details a Jewish student being struck with a stick, choked, and told to "shut your stupid Jewish a** up," as well as other incidents such as Nazi salutes in hallways and classmates expressing enjoyment of Hitler jokes.
Joel Taubman, an attorney with the Brandeis Center, criticized the district for failing to act on earlier reports, describing the environment as hostile toward Jewish students. The Department indicated that, if proven true, the allegations may breach federal law. Taubman suggested the district could adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism and improve its reporting and programming to address the issue.
