Watching the anti-Semitic attacks and protests on American universities is disturbing enough. But these actions are now trickling down to elementary schools, and the latest example is alarming. Case in point: the Nysmith School for the Gifted:
This week, a lawsuit was filed with the Virginia Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights against The Nysmith School for the Gifted, Inc., a private school in Herndon, Virginia. Parents Brian Vazquez and Ashok Roy sued on behalf of their three children, claiming that the children were ‘expelled from the Nysmith School for the Gifted because they complained about the school’s unwillingness to respond to anti-Semitic harassment of their 11-year-old daughter.’
Supposedly, school lessons were focusing on studying anti-Semitism. After the October 7 attacks, the lessons included a large drawing of Adolf Hitler, identifying him as a “strong historic leader.” But the anti-Jew environment became even more personal:
For example, the children placed pro-Palestine stickers on school-issued laptops and lockers, and pointed at their stickers and taunted her for being ‘Israeli.’ In front of her classmates, the bullying children looked at their daughter, and called Jews ‘baby killers,’ and said that they deserve to die because of what is happening in Gaza. Pointing at the other children, the bullies told their daughter that everyone at the school is against Jews and Israel, which is why they hate you. The other children also taunted her about the death of her uncle, saying that they were glad he died in the October 7th attack, even though he had died years earlier.
Upon learning of the bullying in February 2025, Mr. Vazquez and Dr. Roy met with Mr. Nysmith, who allegedly promised to intervene; however, the situation reportedly worsened. The complaint states that Mr. Nysmith canceled the school’s annual Holocaust program speaker, purportedly to avoid ‘inflaming emotions’ related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Days later, a Palestinian flag was reportedly hung in the Nysmith School gym, alongside other national flags, including the Israeli flag. The parents expressed concern that this, without addressing the harassment, would escalate the bullying, and indeed, the complaint alleges it did. Their daughter reported the bullying intensified, with classmates citing the flag as proof that ‘everyone hates Jews’ and taunting her with ‘we won.’
The parents requested another meeting with Nysmith, which he refused to arrange. Instead, he expelled the children:
The complaint alleges that the parents asked the headmaster to take steps to protect their daughter. The headmaster, however, allegedly told the parents to tell their daughter to ‘toughen up.’ Two days later, the headmaster sent the parents an email stating all three of their children – a son in the second grade and two daughters in the sixth grade – were expelled effective that same day.
At the time of the expulsion, all three children were high-achieving students, and none had any disciplinary issues. The parents actively volunteered in school activities, and in a March 20, 2024 letter, the headmaster praised the entire family, writing: ‘We are very honored to have [the parent] and his family as part of the Nysmith community.’
Expelling the children was traumatic enough for the family, but the action took place at a time when enrollments at other schools were closed; mid-semester reports were also due to be issued. The family would have to resort to online training or home schooling.
The Vazquez-Roy family is seeking various types of relief.
We are seeing anti-Semitism invade and poison places in America that we might never have anticipated. When the protests broke out on university campuses, we could assume that this was an example of anti-American and anti-Israel demonstrations by adults and late teenagers. We could also assume that not only students but non-students were leading and participating in these abhorrent displays.
But with the anti-Semitic displays in a Virginia school, should we anticipate that they will spread to other elementary schools, torturing Jewish students who have no recourse? A recent lawsuit by the Brandeis Center suggests just that:
Earlier this year, the Brandeis Center filed a complaint against Fulton County School District for persistent anti-Semitic bullying and harassment against Jewish and Israeli students in elementary, middle, and high schools. The Department of Education recently announced investigations into this complaint, as well as Brandeis Center complaints filed against UMass Amherst, DC’s American University, Yale University, and Scripps College.
Why are there no consequences for this harassing and destructive behavior? Is there any effective way to protect our Jewish children?
Image: Free image, Pixabay license.