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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Come on—give me a break. There are always two sides to every story.

What’s being said right now just doesn’t line up with what so many of us know about Nysmith. Nysmith is a school that embraces diversity—racial, religious, LGBTQ+, you name it. Families with two dads have been part of the community for years, fully welcomed and supported.

To claim bullying suddenly went unchecked after five years at the school? It doesn’t add up. If trust broke down between the parents and the school, that’s unfortunate—but turning it into a headline about discrimination doesn’t reflect the reality the rest of us have experienced.

Before jumping to conclusions, let’s at least acknowledge that stories are complicated—and this one is no exception.

You're like that person who says "I am not racist, I know a black person" except you're talking about the gay community which has absolutely nothing to do with anti-semitism.

[Anonymous]

Are there any real news sources about this?

[Anonymous]

AHA - just figured out why the Nysmith parent above is talking about diversity, LGBTQ+, and pride - the parents are are two men with hispanic and south asian sounding names.

This site won't let me post the link to a NY P-ost article.

[Anonymous]

Much more info in that article about the Hitler thing, including a picture.

[Anonymous]

Ken Nysmith has been a massive POS for decades now, and has destroyed much of what his mom built. I hope he finally gets what’s coming to him.

[Anonymous]

This story is shocking and the poster the kids drew of Hitler is disturbing. I hope plaintiffs get millions and Nysmith goes out of business. How could anyone pay tuition to such an institution?

[Anonymous]

I grew up here and I’ve never heard of this school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Come on—give me a break. There are always two sides to every story.

What’s being said right now just doesn’t line up with what so many of us know about Nysmith. Nysmith is a school that embraces diversity—racial, religious, LGBTQ+, you name it. Families with two dads have been part of the community for years, fully welcomed and supported.

To claim bullying suddenly went unchecked after five years at the school? It doesn’t add up. If trust broke down between the parents and the school, that’s unfortunate—but turning it into a headline about discrimination doesn’t reflect the reality the rest of us have experienced.

Before jumping to conclusions, let’s at least acknowledge that stories are complicated—and this one is no exception.

People acting like there isn't a copy of the world's pettiest email from a so-called educator included in the complaint. That action alone is disqualifying -- kicking out three elementary kids mid-year bc you dont like how the parents spoke to you. Reap what you sow

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there any real news sources about this?

it doesn't fit the narrative so they ignore it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Come on—give me a break. There are always two sides to every story.

What’s being said right now just doesn’t line up with what so many of us know about Nysmith. Nysmith is a school that embraces diversity—racial, religious, LGBTQ+, you name it. Families with two dads have been part of the community for years, fully welcomed and supported.

To claim bullying suddenly went unchecked after five years at the school? It doesn’t add up. If trust broke down between the parents and the school, that’s unfortunate—but turning it into a headline about discrimination doesn’t reflect the reality the rest of us have experienced.

Before jumping to conclusions, let’s at least acknowledge that stories are complicated—and this one is no exception.

People acting like there isn't a copy of the world's pettiest email from a so-called educator included in the complaint. That action alone is disqualifying -- kicking out three elementary kids mid-year bc you dont like how the parents spoke to you. Reap what you sow

I have no idea if the HOS is a petty monster or not but I do know that sometimes kids are asked to leave because of parent behavior. Not at all saying that’s what happened here but I’ve heard some wild stories about parents shouting and harassing administrators that sadly caused their kids to have to leave.

By acting as if it’s unreasonable to people say “yikes this is messy I wonder what the real facts are here?” is not helpful and makes people more skeptical of the claims not less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

In their efforts to label every criticism of Israel as "anti Semitic", certain people have made the rest of the world more prone to dismiss real attacks against Jews. It's really sad.

Did you read the articles? Here are some quotes:

The school "allowed anti-Semitism to take root in her class" over the course of several months, including with a social studies project that saw students promote Adolf Hitler as a "strong historical leader." That project "was shared with the entire school community" and contributed to "a pattern of persistent and severe anti-Semitic harassment," the complaint alleges.

Other kids described Jews as "baby killers" and said "they deserve to die because of what is happening in Gaza."

The Palestinian flag provoked more aggressive bullying and harassment. Classmates cited it as evidence that ‘everyone hates Jews,’ taunting her that ‘we won’ and that the flag was proof that ‘nobody likes you.’"

Allegations in a complaint may or may not be true; oftentimes they are not. An allegation that takes the form of large amount of commentary around a very small quote like "strong historical leader" is also generally misleading. Adolf Hitler was a strong historical leader; what did the project say beyond that? The complaint doesn't say, likely because they don't want the court/public to see that right now.

+1

[Anonymous]

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.

+1

[Anonymous]

An estimated 70 to 85 million people died as a result of Adolf Hitler’s actions during his rule, caused by both direct and indirect factors. Hitler and the Nazi regime did not only kill Jews; they also murdered 250,000 disabled individuals, millions of ethnic Slavs, 500,000 Roma people, and thousands of LGBT individuals.

In what world is it acceptable for children to draw a large portrait of Hitler and then pose next to it? While the faces in the photos are blurred out, it’s likely that many of the children are smiling, as is typical when posing for pictures. Would those defending the school be comfortable with their child posing next to a portrait of, say, a mass murderer or a child rapist? Do you not see how offensive this is, and not just to Jews?

Even if we assume the school’s intention was to promote critical thinking, having students create a large image of Adolf Hitler and then pose for photos with it—regardless of the critique's purpose—raises serious concerns. A large, detailed portrait alongside posed photos can easily appear celebratory, regardless of the intent behind it. In a school setting, especially when dealing with someone like Hitler, this can be interpreted as normalization or admiration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Come on—give me a break. There are always two sides to every story.

What’s being said right now just doesn’t line up with what so many of us know about Nysmith. Nysmith is a school that embraces diversity—racial, religious, LGBTQ+, you name it. Families with two dads have been part of the community for years, fully welcomed and supported.

To claim bullying suddenly went unchecked after five years at the school? It doesn’t add up. If trust broke down between the parents and the school, that’s unfortunate—but turning it into a headline about discrimination doesn’t reflect the reality the rest of us have experienced.

Before jumping to conclusions, let’s at least acknowledge that stories are complicated—and this one is no exception.

People acting like there isn't a copy of the world's pettiest email from a so-called educator included in the complaint. That action alone is disqualifying -- kicking out three elementary kids mid-year bc you dont like how the parents spoke to you. Reap what you sow

I have no idea if the HOS is a petty monster or not but I do know that sometimes kids are asked to leave because of parent behavior. Not at all saying that’s what happened here but I’ve heard some wild stories about parents shouting and harassing administrators that sadly caused their kids to have to leave.

By acting as if it’s unreasonable to people say “yikes this is messy I wonder what the real facts are here?” is not helpful and makes people more skeptical of the claims not less.

Ok, so let's limit our discussion to the undisputed facts in that case. There is photographic evidence on the first page of this complaint of a class project valorizing Adolf Hitler: https://brandeiscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Nysmith-Complaint.pdf

Tell us how this was misunderstood

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Where exactly is the "line of civility" for a Jewish parent who watched his kids endure this? I'd be in there guns blazing if a school allowed this type of behavior.