Jewish parents say their kids were expelled from their school for reporting antisemitism on campus
Brian Vazquez and Ashok Roy have filed a civil rights complaint against the Nysmith School for the Gifted in Herndon, Virginia, and its director, Kenneth Nysmith. The parents allege the school and Nysmith violated state law by discriminating and retaliating against their three children after their 11-year-old daughter reported antisemitic harassment, according to the complaint.
In a statement to the New York Post, Nysmith rejected the parents' allegations. The Independent has contacted Nysmith for comment.
Vazquez and Roy say their daughter first reported 'severe and pervasive' antisemitic bullying in February 2025. The school had also allowed 'antisemitism to take root' in her classroom, they claim. The complaint cites a drawing 'featuring the unmistakable face of Adolf Hitler' for a social studies project that required students to depict the 'attributes of a 'strong historical leader.'
Vazquez and Roy also say their daughter was taunted over the Israel-Hamas conflict, which began when Hamas launched a series of surprise attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking another 250 people hostage. Since then, Israel's retaliatory attacks have killed an estimated 56,000 people in Gaza, the Associated Press reports.
One classmate told their daughter that Jewish people are 'baby killers' and said they deserve to die because of the war, according to the complaint. It also alleged a classmate told their daughter that everyone at the school is 'against Jews and Israel' and claimed they all hate her.
Vazquez and Roy scheduled a meeting with Nysmith soon after their daughter told them about the bullying, the complaint states. Nysmith allegedly assured the parents he would address the bullying.
Nysmith then canceled the school's annual Holocaust program speaker, arguing it could inflame tensions within the school community about the Israel-Gaza conflict, the complaint states. Around the same time, the parents say the school displayed a Palestinian flag in the gymnasium, alongside the flags of other nations, including Israel.
Their daughter then reported that her classmates would say the Palestinian flag was proof that 'nobody likes you,' according to the parents' complaint.
When Vazquez and Roy met with Nysmith again about the harassment on March 11, he allegedly told them their daughter needs to 'toughen up.'
Vazquez and Roy say they told Nysmith that the combined cancelation of the Holocaust program speaker and the display of the Palestinian flag could be viewed as antisemitic. When Nysmith asked if they were calling him antisemitic, the parents said they were not, the complaint alleges.
Two days later, Nysmith sent an email informing the parents that all three of their children had been removed from the school.
'After reflecting on our emotional conversation on Tuesday, the words used make it clear that you have a profound lack of trust in both me and the school,' Nysmith wrote in the email. 'A healthy partnership is required to help guide and nurture young children through tumultuous times and complex current events. I do not see a path forward without trust, understanding, and cooperation.'
'I regret to inform you that today will be your children's last day at Nysmith,' he added. 'I do not take this step lightly, but it is necessary.'
Jeffrey Lang, an attorney with the Brandeis Center who is representing the parents, told The Independent that the parents filed the complaint because 'they wanted their kids to know that they did nothing wrong.'
'The kids were just shattered, and their immediate reaction was, 'What did we do wrong?'' Lang said.
"Their parents picked them up from school on a Thursday afternoon, and they never went back,' he added. 'They left their belongings in their locker, their stickers, their pens and pencils and their drawings. They left it in school because they thought they'd go back the next day. '
The parents filed the complaint with the Virginia Office of the Attorney General. The agency can now investigate and issue a right-to-sue letter, which would allow the family to file a lawsuit against the school. The agency can also decide to pursue action on its own against the school.
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