The Department of Justice announced on Thursday that it had settled a federal investigation over claims of antisemitic harassment in a Massachusetts school district. The agreement stipulates a process the school district will take in the future if and when a Jewish student claims ethnic harassment.
During school years between 2023 and 2025, there were multiple incidents of antisemitic harassment at the Concord-Carlisle, Massachusetts School District, which included students calling Jewish students “Jew” in a derogatory way as an ethnic slur, and some students repeatedly drew swastikas, according to a press release issued by the Department of Justice. The district began implementing protocols to address these problems after the DOJ initiated its investigation, “including working with stakeholders and providing additional training to its employees on handling antisemitism incidents.”
“The Department will not tolerate antisemitic harassment of students at any level of education,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “School districts, like colleges and universities, must take prompt and effective action to address antisemitic harassment when it creates a hostile environment for Jewish students and must keep taking action until Jewish students are once again safe and welcome at their school.”
The agreement between the Concord-Carlisle, Massachusetts School District and the Department of Justice means the school district will “review and revise its policies” and will increase its response time in addressing students’ claims of antisemitism and harassing and discriminatory behavior, the DOJ stated.
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This necessitated implementing several changes, including responding “promptly and effectively to potential incidents of harassment, including by ensuring that all incidents are identified, protecting complainants from retaliation, conducting full and comprehensive investigations, taking appropriate remedial measures where warranted.” Additionally, the agreement mandates the designation of an employee to ensure compliance with the aforementioned rule requirements.
“The district will also provide additional staff and student training on the district’s harassment policies and procedures,” read the DOJ press release. “The Department will monitor the district’s compliance with the settlement agreement, and the district will continue to report to the public about its efforts to address antisemitism.”
