Baltimore City schools failed to address reports of antisemitism, lawsuit alleges

CBS News

2 days ago

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) filed a federal civil rights complaint Wednesday against Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS), alleging the district allowed Jewish students to face "egregious and persistent discrimination and harassment" and failed to address numerous antisemitic incidents.
The Title VI complaint, submitted to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, claims the district knowingly permitted a hostile environment for Jewish students. The ADL, represented by Covington & Burling LLP, filed the complaint on behalf of Jewish parents whose children attend schools in the district.
"This is not something that students coming into their sixth-grade classes, seventh-grade classes, eighth-grade classes, high school classes should have to face as they're trying to learn and trying to grow and be part of their school environment," said Corena Larimer, with the Anti-Defamation League.
BCPS acknowledged there were some troubling incidents, which it said have been addressed. A spokesperson told WJZ that the district rejects antisemitism and has taken steps to ensure a welcoming environment for all students.
According to the complaint, antisemitic incidents escalated following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. One alleged case involved a teacher at Bard High School Early College, who reportedly directed Nazi salutes at the only Jewish student in his class during a January 2025 discussion on Shakespeare. Both the teacher's and student's names were redacted from the filing.
When the student later confronted the teacher, the complaint alleges the teacher responded that "it is ok [for him] to do it because it does not cause anybody harm" and added the student "cannot sanitize his teachings." The complaint states the student experienced antisemitic harassment from the teacher for more than two years.
Other incidents cited include alleged antisemitic text messages sent to Jewish students at Mt. Washington School, including a "Zionist or Nazi?" quiz and alleged threats such as "we should call Hamas and have them come here." The ADL also alleged that students at the school performed Nazi salutes on a daily basis.
Additional allegations involve repeated swastika graffiti on school properties with minimal consequences, a teacher who reportedly said, "I'm about to go all Nazi on you," and a poster at Baltimore City College displaying the slogan "from the river to the sea," which the ADL claims is in support of the destruction of Israel and denial of Jewish self-determination.
"Students have been coming to school and facing harassment from peers, being told that the death of six million Jews in the Holocaust was not enough, suggesting that Hamas should come and inflict violence and terror on the Baltimore Jewish population," Larimer said.
The complaint asserts that Jewish students at Bard High School, Baltimore City College, and Mt. Washington School were forced to isolate themselves, drop classes, hide their identities, and eat alone to avoid harassment. When parents requested concrete action plans or educational programming, the district allegedly offered inadequate responses or ignored the concerns altogether.
"The failure of Baltimore City Public Schools to address this hostile environment has left Jewish students feeling abandoned and unsafe," said Tali Cohen, regional director of ADL Washington, D.C. "Rather than removing antisemitism from classrooms and protecting Jewish students, the district remained inactive and silent."
The complaint calls on the U.S. Department of Education to investigate the environment in city schools and urges the school district to adopt a series of remedies, including mandatory staff training, curriculum updates, and enforcement of zero-tolerance policies for antisemitic conduct.
BCPS said it addressed the alleged incidents at Bard and Mt. Washington when they occurred.
"When we know that something happened, and we received a report whether it be at Bard or Mt. Washington or Poly, we were able to address it," BCPS spokesperson Andre Riley said.
He told WJZ that the allegations are troubling.
"We reject antisemitism, racism, or any kind of bullying in our school district. So yes, we didn't want to hear that about ourselves, but we know that bullying will always be a challenge, and we're determined to eradicate it," Riley said.
Riley added that an investigation has taken place and actions are underway, but the district cannot yet reveal specific details. He said the district has taken all steps possible to ensure a welcoming environment.
"We want them to know that regardless of who you are, regardless of your background, we will support you. Our schools are places of civility, they're a welcoming environment, and they're places you can come to be respected and cared about," Riley said.
Advocates in the Baltimore area have recently taken steps to combat hate and antisemitism.
On Tuesday, The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore launched The Center to Combat Antisemitism and Hate, a new facility aimed at educating the public about antisemitism and fighting misinformation.
The region has seen several antisemitic incidents in recent years. Just last week, a portion of a Baltimore School Board meeting was interrupted by racist and antisemitic content. The interruption prompted a hate crime investigation, officials said.