A longtime Frederick County teacher says antisemitic harassment at New Market Middle School became so routine that it pushed her into early retirement, while parents allege their warnings about hate on campus were brushed off until they went public or pulled their kids from the district. The reported incidents range from swastika doodles and racial slurs to a student allegedly telling a Jewish classmate to "go to the showers," ratcheting up scrutiny of how Frederick County Public Schools responds when hate shows up in the hallways.
Teacher says antisemitism forced early retirement
In an op-ed republished by StandWithUs, Leslie Williamson, a Jewish educator who spent the final nine years of her 23-year career at New Market, writes that she chose to retire at the end of 2025 after repeatedly reporting antisemitic incidents and feeling dismissed by school leaders. She recounts a student turning in a paper with a swastika on it and says similar symbols kept popping up around the school over several months, leaving her anxious and afraid to come to work.
Parents describe slurs, threats and anguish
Parents who spoke to the Baltimore Jewish Times say their children were hit with antisemitic epithets and Holocaust-linked jabs, including remarks referencing gas chambers. They allege some students were allowed to use racial slurs in front of classmates without meaningful intervention.
One parent told the paper she filed multiple complaints that led to little visible change until she took her concerns directly to the Board of Education. Another parent said a student who touched her daughter inappropriately was eventually suspended, but not initially for antisemitic behavior, deepening her frustration with how the case was handled. Some families ultimately pulled their children from Frederick County Public Schools altogether.
Graffiti and school messages
Local reporting indicates that administrators at New Market and other FCPS campuses removed hate symbols when they were found and opened investigations into those incidents. As The Frederick News-Post reported, New Market’s principal sent a community message on May 19 saying a "hate symbol directed at Jewish members of our school community" had been discovered. The message said staff acted quickly to take it down and launch an inquiry.
District policy and reporting options
Frederick County Public Schools' official Notice of Non-Discrimination states the board "does not discriminate in its employment, programs or activities" and that it is "committed to providing students, staff and the community with a safe and supportive environment that fosters mutual respect, equity, inclusion and acceptance." District web pages also point families to formal concern-resolution and complaint procedures. Frederick County Public Schools outlines those resources.
Federal reviews and legal steps
The Baltimore Jewish Times reports that FCPS communications manager Brandon Oland said Williamson filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. According to Oland, "both agencies reviewed the matters independently and closed them without findings against FCPS."
The EEOC says it enforces federal laws that prohibit employment discrimination, including based on religion. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights enforces federal civil rights protections that apply to schools. One parent told the Jewish Times she filed a Title IX complaint after internal school complaints produced what she described as no remedy.
Williamson says she has since connected with legal advocates and with StandWithUs as she considers next steps, and advocacy reporting notes that at least two Jewish families in the school community removed their children from FCPS. Parents and local advocates say they want clearer, documented follow-through when bias incidents are reported and more robust education around antisemitism and hate so cases are not treated as isolated pranks.
