NY Smith allegedly allowed antisemetic bullying and expelled the kids who's parents complained

[Anonymous]

I think it will be interesting to see how the school handled the alleged bullying behind the scenes. Some schools talk a good talk, but have no clue had to walk the walk.

At a private school the classes are small enough you can tune into the social climate and make sure the the alleged perpetrator and alleged victim are not seated near eachother and do not have to interact during less structured times. You let other teachers know so every keeps an eye on things and can intervene swiftly.

Do they have cameras at the school? If so, it becomes much easier if the kids can say around what time and where it happened.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:It's hard to take this stuff seriously when anyone who criticizes the IDF or Israel attacks on Palestinians gets labelled "anti-Semetic". Seems kinda like a cheap trick and manipulation

It's kind of hard to believe that people can't see that lessons that involving drawing Hitler (in any context), canceling Holocaust survivors and expelling three students in March is anything other than anti-Semitic. No one is challenging criticism of the IDF or Israel's heavy-handed response to October 7th, but rather, you know, anti-Semitism. Like "you're the reason people hate Jews" or celebrating (incorrectly) an October 7th death.

How is this anti-Semitic?

And for that matter, why would drawing Hitler be anti-Semitic either? Unless youre lionizing the guy... I mean drawing someone is a neutral act. We hire courtroom artists to draw the most vile criminals and murderers, that's hardly an endorsement of them.

Sure. they could also draw swastikas as a neutral act just to show the symbols of the strong Machiavellian leader.

Sure. I'd also advise you never to travel to east asia, where swastikas are still widely used and literally can be observed on google maps marking temples every 200 feet or so. This oversensitivity to historical facts and symbols is what makes people roll their eyes. Again, unless the school is ENDORSING these things, what exactly would be anti-semitic about portraying historical accuracy?

So just to be clear - your position is that people who are offended by Nazi swastikas are “oversensitive” because Hindus use a similar symbol for totally benign, non-Nazi reasons? I don’t think anyone in America in 2025 is going to see a swastika (particularly if the assignment had to do with nazis) and think “oh, must be the Hindu symbol. It would be oversensitive of me to react.” Like what even ?

Yeah, my point is it's a widely used, ancient symbol used in various cultures and co-opted by the nazis. Unless youre arguing that the combination of lines is some magical emblem, in which case, half of asia would be implicated, then it makes sense that students might sketch it out as part of a historical lesson. Or are we not supposed to talk or even touch on WWII?

NP. What would be the reason/necessity to have kids draw such a symbol as part of a lesson?

Probably the same reason you do any classroom activity? To get them to connect with the course material and pay attention?

I'm sure it is pretty easy to just show them a picture of it.

Probably the same reason teachers make kids play math games and do small quizzes instead of just using a calculator

[Anonymous]

I've read up more on the case and these parents sound like they did everything possible to give the school the benefit of the doubt. Regarding the bullying, they were tipped off by another parent and then asked their kid about it. So, they have witnesses. Very sad and this could have been nipped in the bud if the school knew what it was doing. The principal comes across as having spent too long in a bubble where he is used to people kissing up to him and didn't develop the professional skills to deal effectively with concerns. He needed more experience working for someone other than mom.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Complaints are always one-sided. I can't imagine a school that has been around as long as Nysmith that would not be measured in its response when claims of anti-Semitism are made, especially in this political environment. Expelling the students seems like a radical thing to do - there must have been some reason. So - I take this complaint with a grain of salt and look forward to the school's side of the story before prejudging.

There is no justifying or rationalizing the behavior of this principal. In the pettiest way possible he expelled three kids in the middle of the school year, under --at minimum-- highly questionable circumstances.

"By March 13, Nysmith decided to expel all three Jewish family members 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, according to a copy of the email included in the complaint. "I felt very clearly that you do not think Nysmith is the right school for your family, and the longer we try to ignore that reality, the more pain it will cause your children. With this in mind, I regret to inform you that today will be your children’s last day at Nysmith."

Source: https://freebeacon.com/america/prestigious-virginia-k-8-school-hit-with-civil-rights-complaint-over-environment-hostile-to-jews/

Exactly this. To dismiss the family, effective immediately, apparently without warning or even a previous conversation, is suspect.

It sounds like there were other conversations.

It sounds like there was an “emotional” exchange, and I wonder if the parents crossed the lines of civility. I have seen private school parents yell at administrators and have heard of parents posing threats, including against the administrators’ family members.

I can see the parents being upset and angry given the provocations and what may have been an egregiously incompetent response to anti-Semitism. However, the one power that private schools have that public’s don’t is that they sign a contract that says their kids can be booted out for any reason at the discretion of the Head of School.

What I read between the lines is that the parents may have insulted the HOS, possibly called him an incompetent idiot (which he probably is). Unfortunately, you don’t get to disrespect a HOS and stay at his school.

His and Nysmith’s defense will probably be that they were trying to respond to the bullying but that the parents’ behavior was unacceptable. The contract will back Nysmith up legally, which is why hr HOS probably felt comfortable booting them out.

Not saying it’s right. Just saying this is the private school playbook. I’ve seen it be used against people of color for years. Your child can be the victim of blatant, horrible racism but god forbid you raise your voice in a meeting with the HOS.

You’ve got the private school playbook exactly right, except the part of it being used against people of color, which you have backwards. Nowadays it is used against white students who dare to make an inappropriate remark or anything that a POC says is offensive. A Black family who complains in a private school gets the red carpet treatment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A Black family who complains in a private school gets the red carpet treatment.

St. Anselm's thread says hi.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I can vouch for the fact that many of the teachers are nysmith do not have degrees. And they have no business having anything to do with children! It’s a very dangerous place to send your kid. I will always have guilt over sending my children there even though it was a short period of time.

This is a ridiculous take. Every teacher at Nysmith has a degree. Some, not all, have teaching certifications, but having a teaching certification is immaterial to the question of whether or not one is a good teacher.

Nysmith has historically exceptional retention rates among both students and staff and a damn near spotless record for its nearly 40 year history. This is a troubling episode, to be sure, but let’s not pretend as though it’s somehow dangerous when you have literally tens of thousands of satisfied customers over their history whose kids have gone on to incredible outcomes.

And yes, middle schoolers are old enough to learn about the Holocaust at a surface level and do projects that force them to learn about terrible people. It’s part of how they hopefully learn not to be terrible people themselves.

Unless you are a current or previously enrolled family, you have no business writing this post.

Why?

Because you have no firsthand knowledge to say “this is a ridiculous take.”
My children were there for years and I know for a fact many of the teachers do not have degrees, and definitely not teaching degrees.

You’re asserting that there are teachers at Nysmith who did not graduate from college. Are you sure you want to die on that hill?

I’m not dying on any hill. I’m stating a fact.

At a normal school, one would be able to look at the website and see the credentials of teachers. But Nysmith doesn't have bios for anyone but the founder's son.

Exactly. They get away with not being transparent about a lot. One of the many reasons we left the school.

What is the value proposition behind Nysmith? I am a poor public school kid who went to a T10 school on athletic scholarship. The public school in Chicago afforded me as much opportunity as I needed. My mother wouldn’t have entertained a school like this for a second - she had no education and her primary goal was to have her kids be fiercely independent. My kids went to the public school across the street. Sure they had it much easier than I did but with zero hovering or DCUM behavior ended up at Princeton. No need to get defensive here - I just can’t figure out the value.

[Anonymous]

[b]What is the value proposition behind Nysmith?[/b] I am a poor public school kid who went to a T10 school on athletic scholarship. The public school in Chicago afforded me as much opportunity as I needed. My mother wouldn’t have entertained a school like this for a second - she had no education and her primary goal was to have her kids be fiercely independent. [b]My kids went to the public school across the street. [/b]Sure they had it much easier than I did but with zero hovering or DCUM behavior ended up at Princeton. No need to get defensive here - I just can’t figure out the value.

+ 1,000

I looked into private schools and couldn't see the value proposition either. We sent our kids to Rachel Carson and it worked out great.

[Anonymous]

When you go to a DC private school (including surrounding areas) you are buying into a community that is proudly progressive in its ideology. If you hold conservative views, are proudly Catholic or Jewish, or God forbid support President Trump, you probably won’t be happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you go to a DC private school (including surrounding areas) you are buying into a community that is proudly progressive in its ideology. If you hold conservative views, are proudly Catholic or Jewish, or God forbid support President Trump, you probably won’t be happy.

Is there a reason you posted this on the Hitler thread? Anyway when you find yourself arguing that Georgetown Prep is a “proudly progressive” school where a conservative Catholic Trump supporter would be unhappy, it’s probably time to log off for the weekend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you go to a DC private school (including surrounding areas) you are buying into a community that is proudly progressive in its ideology. If you hold conservative views, are proudly Catholic or Jewish, or God forbid support President Trump, you probably won’t be happy.

Proudly progressive? Spending $100 K for three kids to go to private school instead of public? So you can have progressive ideology around you?

This statement says a lot about you!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:It's hard to take this stuff seriously when anyone who criticizes the IDF or Israel attacks on Palestinians gets labelled "anti-Semetic". Seems kinda like a cheap trick and manipulation

It's kind of hard to believe that people can't see that lessons that involving drawing Hitler (in any context), canceling Holocaust survivors and expelling three students in March is anything other than anti-Semitic. No one is challenging criticism of the IDF or Israel's heavy-handed response to October 7th, but rather, you know, anti-Semitism. Like "you're the reason people hate Jews" or celebrating (incorrectly) an October 7th death.

How is this anti-Semitic?

And for that matter, why would drawing Hitler be anti-Semitic either? Unless youre lionizing the guy... I mean drawing someone is a neutral act. We hire courtroom artists to draw the most vile criminals and murderers, that's hardly an endorsement of them.

Sure. they could also draw swastikas as a neutral act just to show the symbols of the strong Machiavellian leader.

Sure. I'd also advise you never to travel to east asia, where swastikas are still widely used and literally can be observed on google maps marking temples every 200 feet or so. This oversensitivity to historical facts and symbols is what makes people roll their eyes. Again, unless the school is ENDORSING these things, what exactly would be anti-semitic about portraying historical accuracy?

So just to be clear - your position is that people who are offended by Nazi swastikas are “oversensitive” because Hindus use a similar symbol for totally benign, non-Nazi reasons? I don’t think anyone in America in 2025 is going to see a swastika (particularly if the assignment had to do with nazis) and think “oh, must be the Hindu symbol. It would be oversensitive of me to react.” Like what even ?

Yeah, my point is it's a widely used, ancient symbol used in various cultures and co-opted by the nazis. Unless youre arguing that the combination of lines is some magical emblem, in which case, half of asia would be implicated, then it makes sense that students might sketch it out as part of a historical lesson. Or are we not supposed to talk or even touch on WWII?

NP. What would be the reason/necessity to have kids draw such a symbol as part of a lesson?

Probably the same reason you do any classroom activity? To get them to connect with the course material and pay attention?

I'm sure it is pretty easy to just show them a picture of it.

Sure, which is exactly the point. It's easy to just use a calculator in math class or google everything during history class, but that's not great engagement, huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:It's hard to take this stuff seriously when anyone who criticizes the IDF or Israel attacks on Palestinians gets labelled "anti-Semetic". Seems kinda like a cheap trick and manipulation

It's kind of hard to believe that people can't see that lessons that involving drawing Hitler (in any context), canceling Holocaust survivors and expelling three students in March is anything other than anti-Semitic. No one is challenging criticism of the IDF or Israel's heavy-handed response to October 7th, but rather, you know, anti-Semitism. Like "you're the reason people hate Jews" or celebrating (incorrectly) an October 7th death.

How is this anti-Semitic?

And for that matter, why would drawing Hitler be anti-Semitic either? Unless youre lionizing the guy... I mean drawing someone is a neutral act. We hire courtroom artists to draw the most vile criminals and murderers, that's hardly an endorsement of them.

Sure. they could also draw swastikas as a neutral act just to show the symbols of the strong Machiavellian leader.

Sure. I'd also advise you never to travel to east asia, where swastikas are still widely used and literally can be observed on google maps marking temples every 200 feet or so. This oversensitivity to historical facts and symbols is what makes people roll their eyes. Again, unless the school is ENDORSING these things, what exactly would be anti-semitic about portraying historical accuracy?

So just to be clear - your position is that people who are offended by Nazi swastikas are “oversensitive” because Hindus use a similar symbol for totally benign, non-Nazi reasons? I don’t think anyone in America in 2025 is going to see a swastika (particularly if the assignment had to do with nazis) and think “oh, must be the Hindu symbol. It would be oversensitive of me to react.” Like what even ?

Yeah, my point is it's a widely used, ancient symbol used in various cultures and co-opted by the nazis. Unless youre arguing that the combination of lines is some magical emblem, in which case, half of asia would be implicated, then it makes sense that students might sketch it out as part of a historical lesson. Or are we not supposed to talk or even touch on WWII?

NP. What would be the reason/necessity to have kids draw such a symbol as part of a lesson?

Probably the same reason you do any classroom activity? To get them to connect with the course material and pay attention?

I'm sure it is pretty easy to just show them a picture of it.

Sure, which is exactly the point. It's easy to just use a calculator in math class or google everything during history class, but that's not great engagement, huh?

Drawing hitler is, in fact, also not great engagement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's hard to take this stuff seriously when anyone who criticizes the IDF or Israel attacks on Palestinians gets labelled "anti-Semetic". Seems kinda like a cheap trick and manipulation

It's kind of hard to believe that people can't see that lessons that involving drawing Hitler (in any context), canceling Holocaust survivors and expelling three students in March is anything other than anti-Semitic. No one is challenging criticism of the IDF or Israel's heavy-handed response to October 7th, but rather, you know, anti-Semitism. Like "you're the reason people hate Jews" or celebrating (incorrectly) an October 7th death.

How is this anti-Semitic?

And for that matter, why would drawing Hitler be anti-Semitic either? Unless youre lionizing the guy... I mean drawing someone is a neutral act. We hire courtroom artists to draw the most vile criminals and murderers, that's hardly an endorsement of them.

Sure. they could also draw swastikas as a neutral act just to show the symbols of the strong Machiavellian leader.

Sure. I'd also advise you never to travel to east asia, where swastikas are still widely used and literally can be observed on google maps marking temples every 200 feet or so. This oversensitivity to historical facts and symbols is what makes people roll their eyes. Again, unless the school is ENDORSING these things, what exactly would be anti-semitic about portraying historical accuracy?

So just to be clear - your position is that people who are offended by Nazi swastikas are “oversensitive” because Hindus use a similar symbol for totally benign, non-Nazi reasons? I don’t think anyone in America in 2025 is going to see a swastika (particularly if the assignment had to do with nazis) and think “oh, must be the Hindu symbol. It would be oversensitive of me to react.” Like what even ?

Yeah, my point is it's a widely used, ancient symbol used in various cultures and co-opted by the nazis. Unless youre arguing that the combination of lines is some magical emblem, in which case, half of asia would be implicated, then it makes sense that students might sketch it out as part of a historical lesson. Or are we not supposed to talk or even touch on WWII?

NP. What would be the reason/necessity to have kids draw such a symbol as part of a lesson?

Probably the same reason you do any classroom activity? To get them to connect with the course material and pay attention?

I'm sure it is pretty easy to just show them a picture of it.

Sure, which is exactly the point. It's easy to just use a calculator in math class or google everything during history class, but that's not great engagement, huh?

Drawing hitler is, in fact, also not great engagement

According to who? You?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you go to a DC private school (including surrounding areas) you are buying into a community that is proudly progressive in its ideology. If you hold conservative views, are proudly Catholic or Jewish, or God forbid support President Trump, you probably won’t be happy.

Yes, and it's important to remember that progressive ideology includes bullying Jews and calling for the destruction of Israel. That's what you're signing up for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:It's hard to take this stuff seriously when anyone who criticizes the IDF or Israel attacks on Palestinians gets labelled "anti-Semetic". Seems kinda like a cheap trick and manipulation

It's kind of hard to believe that people can't see that lessons that involving drawing Hitler (in any context), canceling Holocaust survivors and expelling three students in March is anything other than anti-Semitic. No one is challenging criticism of the IDF or Israel's heavy-handed response to October 7th, but rather, you know, anti-Semitism. Like "you're the reason people hate Jews" or celebrating (incorrectly) an October 7th death.

How is this anti-Semitic?

And for that matter, why would drawing Hitler be anti-Semitic either? Unless youre lionizing the guy... I mean drawing someone is a neutral act. We hire courtroom artists to draw the most vile criminals and murderers, that's hardly an endorsement of them.

Sure. they could also draw swastikas as a neutral act just to show the symbols of the strong Machiavellian leader.

Sure. I'd also advise you never to travel to east asia, where swastikas are still widely used and literally can be observed on google maps marking temples every 200 feet or so. This oversensitivity to historical facts and symbols is what makes people roll their eyes. Again, unless the school is ENDORSING these things, what exactly would be anti-semitic about portraying historical accuracy?

So just to be clear - your position is that people who are offended by Nazi swastikas are “oversensitive” because Hindus use a similar symbol for totally benign, non-Nazi reasons? I don’t think anyone in America in 2025 is going to see a swastika (particularly if the assignment had to do with nazis) and think “oh, must be the Hindu symbol. It would be oversensitive of me to react.” Like what even ?

Yeah, my point is it's a widely used, ancient symbol used in various cultures and co-opted by the nazis. Unless youre arguing that the combination of lines is some magical emblem, in which case, half of asia would be implicated, then it makes sense that students might sketch it out as part of a historical lesson. Or are we not supposed to talk or even touch on WWII?

It’s very clear that you’re not arguing in good faith here but, just for the record: symbols have the meanings we imbue them with as a society, and that can differ from region to region. It is beyond any reasonable dispute that if people see a swastika in America in 2025, they’re going to assume it’s a nazi symbol (not an Hindu one) and react in very predictable ways.

Here, students were apparently asked to depict a Machiavellian leader and chose to draw a giant portrait of Hitler. The teacher/school should have foreseen that, regardless of the specifics of the assignment, that portrait might provoke a strong emotional response from Jewish students. The fact that they apparently DIDN’T foresee that, or didn’t care, speaks volumes about their priorities. And whether you think the assignment was actively malicious in some way (I personally don’t), it’s very clear from this and the many, many other incidents detailed in the complaint that the school’s priorities do not include the welfare of their Jewish students.

Re: this part: “it makes sense that students might sketch it out as part of a historical lesson. Or are we not supposed to talk or even touch on WWII?” To be clear, this was not an assignment about WWII/given in the context of any larger lesson about WWII or the Holocaust. In fact, when the parents tried to PROVIDE that context in the form of a Holocaust Memorial Day speaker, they were shut down and the event was cancelled.

So it wasnt even a specific order to draw Hitler, just one kid picked Hitler, during an assignment when you were literally supposed to chose a morally wrong and awful leader? OMG. How are people genuinely upset about this?! Touch some grass.