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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 wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Anyone who is a Nysmith family…

Did this photo appear in a Look Ahead? And if so, from when?

Our family has never seen this. Nysmith has gone above and beyond to be neutral and a-political so it’s weird to see this in the news. It does feel like a big part of story is missing when we step back and read it. I’ve read the clips multiple times as it doesn’t resonate and seems off as a parent with kids there.

There are both Dems and Republican families who gravitate to Nysmith for its ability to embrace diversity in political views and help kids grow in having tough conversations. Race, gender, religion, etc. all are discussed in a positive, inclusive way. I asked my kids and they had no idea and haven’t witnessed any of this bullying. Any slight problem we’ve had was addressed immediately. They were ten times better than FCPS in addressing issues head on. They also took the time to investigate issues and get all sides. It’s been a positive partnership, so again this surprised me.

Let me guess. You’re white, Christian, and wealthy?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who is a Nysmith family…

Did this photo appear in a Look Ahead? And if so, from when?

Our family has never seen this. Nysmith has gone above and beyond to be neutral and a-political so it’s weird to see this in the news. It does feel like a big part of story is missing when we step back and read it. I’ve read the clips multiple times as it doesn’t resonate and seems off as a parent with kids there.

There are both Dems and Republican families who gravitate to Nysmith for its ability to embrace diversity in political views and help kids grow in having tough conversations. Race, gender, religion, etc. all are discussed in a positive, inclusive way. I asked my kids and they had no idea and haven’t witnessed any of this bullying. Any slight problem we’ve had was addressed immediately. They were ten times better than FCPS in addressing issues head on. They also took the time to investigate issues and get all sides. It’s been a positive partnership, so again this surprised me.

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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.

Anonymous wrote:

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This was handled so terribly. If the family is out there reading this...I stand with you!


https://brandeiscenter.com/nysmith-school-in-herndon-va-expelled-6th-grade-victim-of-anti-semitic-bullying/
https://freebeacon.com/america/prestigious-virginia-k-8-school-hit-with-civil-rights-complaint-over-environment-hostile-to-jews/

This is only one of the many horrific consequences of choosing woke schools.

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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?

True - one cannot teach the Holocaust without having the kids draw a giant Hitler head.

Anonymous wrote:
This was handled so terribly. If the family is out there reading this...I stand with you!


https://brandeiscenter.com/nysmith-school-in-herndon-va-expelled-6th-grade-victim-of-anti-semitic-bullying/
https://freebeacon.com/america/prestigious-virginia-k-8-school-hit-with-civil-rights-complaint-over-environment-hostile-to-jews/

Anonymous wrote:This is reminding me that case in New Jersey where a veteran teacher was accused of “ripping off a little girls hijab.” The facts of the case were very different than that clickbait summary. I’m not saying this report isn’t accurate, just that leaping to believing all of it is the same as leaping to believing that story about the New Jersey teacher.

Anonymous wrote:And no, the teacher absolutely does not deserve to be suspended over this. That would be a total overreaction based on what’s currently known. You have no idea what actually went on the in class nor can you even see the full project. At most, based on what’s known, the teacher misjudged.

People - teachers, administrators, parents, kids - need to be able to make mistakes and be allowed to recover from them/learn from them. If everyone is so afraid to mess up or that what they say will be misinterpreted and bring out the social media porch forks for them, we will end up in a place where we decide to just not discuss things. And that’s a bad outcome. Messing up and misjudging- even like this - is vastly different from creating an atmosphere of institutionalized or even persistent antisemitism, which is what this complaint is trying to allege.

Anonymous wrote:The school is aware of the “social media” discussion, per its post. Is it aware that the allegations have been reported in news outlets?

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Anonymous wrote:The HOS’s statement on Instagram is hilariously bad? Who are this man’s attorneys?? https://www.instagram.com/p/DLpkiauPoFk/?igsh=NTNtMmtwZ3dpZWd5

He can’t get through TWO sentences without lying. The second sentence is “we are not aware of any legal action at this time.” Sir, a legal complaint has been filed against you and the state Attorney General has accepted it for investigation. What do you call that?

The entire third paragraph is basically a severely misguided attempt to justify the bullying this girl experienced (which he is tacitly admitting did occur, but I digress) on the basis of “the ongoing conflict in Gaza” and “children still learning to communicate.” Holy cow. Way to double down on the idiocy that got you in this mess in the first place.

Finally, he bolded that the expulsion happened “with the guidance and approval of our corporate attorney” as though that’s some kind of legal safe harbor? Like, ok, we’ve established that your lawyer is terrible. I’m guessing your “corporate attorney” is not an expert in civil rights law, because if he was, you would have handled this all VERY differently.

Thanks for linking. I don’t use Facebook. I think the statement is quite good.

The complaint was supposedly filed with Miyares. Miyares says he’s investigating, but of course, he says lots of things, particularly things that can get him some sound bites on Fox in an election year. The school may not have been formally notified of the complaint, beyond reading about it online. Who knows?

When a complaint is filed the opposing party is served with it.

This is not a complaint in a state or federal court launching a lawsuit. I know it is styled like one, but it’s not. It is a complaint to the state AG requesting an investigation. It’s up to the AG to decide whether it’s meritorious enough to take action and to notify the other party, and that doesn’t have to happen instantaneously (the date on this complaint is Monday - three days ago). The complainant can notify the other party directly but does not have to, and in this situation, the complainant sending the complaint to the school is meaningless- all it is is a request for the state to investigate and take action. The state can decide not to. And in VA, even if this was filed in state court, you have time to timely serve - like months, I forget how long. So it’s completely plausible that the school has not received any type of official process here yet other than through the news. Heck even in federal court, service doesn’t have to happen within three days….

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The HOS’s statement on Instagram is hilariously bad? Who are this man’s attorneys?? https://www.instagram.com/p/DLpkiauPoFk/?igsh=NTNtMmtwZ3dpZWd5

He can’t get through TWO sentences without lying. The second sentence is “we are not aware of any legal action at this time.” Sir, a legal complaint has been filed against you and the state Attorney General has accepted it for investigation. What do you call that?

The entire third paragraph is basically a severely misguided attempt to justify the bullying this girl experienced (which he is tacitly admitting did occur, but I digress) on the basis of “the ongoing conflict in Gaza” and “children still learning to communicate.” Holy cow. Way to double down on the idiocy that got you in this mess in the first place.

Finally, he bolded that the expulsion happened “with the guidance and approval of our corporate attorney” as though that’s some kind of legal safe harbor? Like, ok, we’ve established that your lawyer is terrible. I’m guessing your “corporate attorney” is not an expert in civil rights law, because if he was, you would have handled this all VERY differently.

Thanks for linking. I don’t use Facebook. I think the statement is quite good.

The complaint was supposedly filed with Miyares. Miyares says he’s investigating, but of course, he says lots of things, particularly things that can get him some sound bites on Fox in an election year. The school may not have been formally notified of the complaint, beyond reading about it online. Who knows?

When a complaint is filed the opposing party is served with it.