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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.