
An investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has uncovered a distressing pattern of antisemitic incidents in Howard County Public Schools, with at least 28 reported cases over the past two school years. As reported by FOX Baltimore, the incidents spanned across 16 schools in the district and included hateful expressions such as swastika graffiti, Nazi salutes, and violent threats against Jewish students.
Amidst these findings, the investigation highlighted the school district's failure to evaluate whether these incidents created a hostile environment for Jewish students. In one particularly appalling incident, a student was told to "go back to the gas chamber," according to the findings acquired by FOX Baltimore.
The Office for Civil Rights indicated concerns about the school system not reporting the entire scope of a complaint from a community group, which included incidents where a Jewish student was referred to as a "Hebrew" and faced a classmate's Nazi salute. WMAR-2 News detailed even more disturbing accounts, such as TikTok posts claiming "Hitler was right" and costumes featuring swastikas worn during Halloween celebrations.
While students have the right to express their views, the Civil Rights Office stressed the school system's obligation under Title VI to prevent a hostile environment based on shared ancestry. In a statement shared by OCR, as reported by WMAR-2 News, they put it, "Training and open dialog will continue so students may express their views and concerns in an appropriate and effective manner," in response to the recent settlement, said the Howard County Public School System. These incidents included several affecting Jewish students' sense of safety during walkouts at eight high schools, prompted by the Israel-Hamas War last year.
In light of the investigation, Howard County Public Schools has agreed with the Office of Civil Rights to issue an anti-harassment statement and implement several changes to foster a non-hostile learning environment for Jewish students. These include revising current policies, training staff annually, and initiating informative programs about discrimination for middle and high school students. WMAR-2 News also mentioned that the school district will conduct an assessment to evaluate the climate at schools regarding shared ancestry.