HOWARD COUNTY, Md. — Howard County Public Schools was told of at least 28 incidents of antisemitism, at 16 schools, since 2022 - but failed to consider whether the incidents created a hostile environment for students.
That's according to a report from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, which just reached an agreement with the school system regarding how it deals with antisemitic harassment.
The school system also didn't tell the Office of Civil Rights the extent of a complaint from a community group that reported incidents like "a Jewish student being told by a friend that a classmate didn’t want to 'sit next to a Hebrew,' and that the classmate did a Nazi salute; TikTok posts directed by classmates to a Jewish student saying 'Hitler was right,' 'too bad he didn’t finish the job,' 'all [J]ews should die,' and 'I would be willing to pay for a train ticket to Auschwitz so they can finish the job'; a male classmate overheard saying, 'You know how to pick up Jewish girls? An ashtray;' a classmate saying to a Jewish student, 'Happy Holocaust;' swastika graffiti; classmates dressing as Afrika Korps during Halloween while their teacher insisted that the costume that included a swastika was not antisemitic; the 'k-slur;' and more."
The school system also claimed during the investigation that these incidents did not constitute shared-ancestry discrimination.
HCPSS likewise didn't assess if there was a hostile environment during some walkouts that prompted a Jewish student to leave school that day because students were making “jew jokes and I’m just pissed,” and that several Jewish students stayed home specifically because of the walkout.
Eight of the county's 13 high schools had walkouts last school year because of the Israel-Hamas War: River Hill, Atholton, Glenelg, Long Reah, Marriotts Ridge, Reservoir High, Oakland Mills, and Howard.
The civil rights office noted:
While school system students have a First Amendment protected right to express their views, including through walkouts, regarding world events, the school system also has a Title VI obligation to ensure that no hostile environment based on shared ancestry operates in its education program and activities.
(Other incidents reported include "posting of swastikas; mimicking Nazi salutes; threats to kill and stating preference for death of Jewish people; using the term 'Jew' as a slur; calling a Jewish middle school student a 'dirty Jew,' telling her to 'go back to the gas chamber,' and showing her pictures of Hitler on the threatening student’s phone; and professing love for Hitler.)
Howard County Public Schools has agreed to issue an anti-harassment statement, review and revise any pertinent policies, give annual training to all staff, give an informational program for middle-school and high-school students regarding discrimination; make an assessment to evaluate the climate at middle and high schools regarding shared ancestry, review its response to the past incidents, and document the response to the federal agency.
The school system also responded in a statement:
The Howard County Public School System is pleased to resolve the complaint in conjunction with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to ensure the protection of student rights. The items shared by OCR align with actions we have been implementing. Training and open dialog will continue so students may express their views and concerns in an appropriate and effective manner.
According to the Howard County Jewish Parent Coalition (HCJPC), Jewish students make up 6 percent of the overall population.
The civil rights office also recently reached a similar settlement with Johns Hopkins University.
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