The Department of Education announced an investigation on Thursday into Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) in Baltimore, Maryland, over allegations of antisemitic harassment.
The department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) said it is looking into whether the school district violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 after receiving a complaint accusing BCPS of tolerating several incidents of antisemitic discrimination and harassment by teachers and non-Jewish students against Jewish students.
According to the department, the complaint specifically alleges that the district has allowed “egregious and persistent discrimination” against students in several schools. The complaint details several incidents, including BCPS continuing to employ a teacher who allegedly “threatened to ‘go all Nazi’ on [his] students…and personally directed Nazi salutes towards a Jewish student.”
The complaint details several incidents where the district allegedly failed to properly intervene in incidents of non-Jewish students bulling Jewish classmates, “including by performing Nazi salutes on the playground, drawing Nazi graffiti on desks and in textbooks, and telling Jewish students that ‘6 million [Jews] was not enough,’ that ‘all Jews should die,’ and that ‘we should call Hamas and have them come here,”‘ the department said in a press release.
“Jewish students have reported feeling afraid to walk down the hallways alone and are unable to focus on schoolwork,” according to the department.
Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor called the allegations “appalling and infuriating.” He said:
When a teacher allegedly directs a Nazi salute toward a Jewish student, or non-Jewish students harass their Jewish contemporaries by saying ‘all Jews should die,’ we are not simply talking about contemptible bullying; we are talking about a shocking abdication of educator responsibility that constitutes unlawful anti-Semitic harassment under Title VI.
“If true, these allegations confirm a disturbing trend: too many of our nation’s educational institutions are failing American students by inculcating in them a loathing for their own country and fellow citizens and a tolerance and acceptance for a deeply destructive ancient hatred,” he continued. “The Trump-McMahon Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights will vigorously investigate this matter and ensure American Jewish students can learn and flourish in an environment free from unlawful discrimination.”