BOSTON — A local school district is facing allegations that officials ignored antisemitic bullying and failed to protect Jewish students, as groups filed a federal civil rights brief with the Department of Education.

Officials at Concord-Carlisle Regional School District are facing heat from the Anti-Defamation League, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, and a law firm.

The Title VI Complaint filed with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights details the alleged hostile environment for a Jewish boy — who ended up leaving the school district because of the alleged antisemitic harassment.

There has been an alarming pattern of antisemitic bullying, slurs, threats, and retaliation at Concord-Carlisle High School and Concord Middle School, they wrote in the federal filing. School and district officials have failed do anything about it despite receiving numerous reports over the years, the groups allege.

“The antisemitic climate at Concord-Carlisle did not emerge overnight. It was allowed to take root and persist,” said Samantha Joseph, ADL New England regional director. “The school became a hostile and isolating environment for Jewish students.

“While the filing focuses largely on one student who was the target of the worst abuse, his was not an isolated case, and there is clear evidence that this was – and remains – a systemic issue,” Joseph added.

The alleged abuse included Nazi salutes in hallways, students dividing themselves into teams called “Team Auschwitz” and “Team Hamas” during athletic games, swastikas drawn in notebooks and on school property, and the use of antisemitic slurs such as “kike,” “dirty Jew,” and “go to the gas chamber.”

The director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging allegedly downplayed concerns about the use of the word “kike” as merely a “microaggression.”

Concord-Carlisle Superintendent Laurie Hunter in a statement said the district “does not tolerate antisemitic acts between its students.”

“Every report is fully investigated and addressed swiftly and seriously,” Hunter said. “The schools have thorough response protocols, an anonymous reporting system, and ongoing training for students and staff.

“The district has strong relationships with local Jewish faith leaders in multiple communities to align its efforts to fight antisemitism in the schools and the Concord community,” the superintendent added. “We regularly survey students, families, and staff to ensure there is ongoing information about students’ feelings of belonging in our schools.”

The district is cooperating with the Office for Civil Rights, Hunter said. Officials are “always looking for feedback on how to enhance our policies, processes, and programs.”

State Rep. Simon Cataldo, who lives in Concord and is a co-chair of the state’s Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism, said in a statement that these allegations and the many antisemitic incidents across K-12 schools “add urgency” to the commission’s work.

“Schools are increasingly finding themselves on the front lines in facing society’s ills,” Cataldo said. “The rising tide of antisemitism that has struck fear into Jewish families around the state and in my own home community is no exception.

“It is imperative that Massachusetts supports school staff, families, and students with the resources, best practices, and education needed to effectively confront antisemitism and other forms of hate,” he added.

The commission plans later this month to release, discuss and possibly recommend steps to address antisemitism in K-12 settings.

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