A Dallas School District Is Being Investigated for Antisemitism; Here’s How Other Schools Can Avoid That Fate

On July 15, 2024, the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) informed my organization that it opened a civil rights investigation into the Dallas Independent School District (“DISD”) in response to our complaint that a student was subjected to years of “severe, pervasive and persistent harassment” solely because of his Jewish identity.

The team at StandWithUs argued that DISD violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally-funded programs such as public schools.

After months of witnessing the harassment, receiving reports of discrimination, and being offered educational training by StandWithUs, DISD is only just now (hopefully) taking antisemitism seriously — and that is only because of legal force.

Here’s what happened:

In September 2023, we sent a letter to the principal of Hillcrest High School in Dallas and the DISD Superintendent urging them to address antisemitism and ignorance at the school, and offering our support.

We described one student’s experience — being called a “dirty Jew” and a “filthy kike,” being told by classmates “Bye kike, hope the Nazis grab you tonight,” and “go back to Auschwitz, you don’t belong here.” School leadership consistently ignored or downplayed the seriousness of these incidents. One teacher told the student, “You shouldn’t let antisemitism bother you so much.” Swastikas discovered on school property were simply covered up.

Despite our letter and subsequent meetings with school leadership, DISD allowed the hostile environment to continue. After exhausting all other administrative options, we submitted our complaint to the US Department of Education. The student bravely returned to school and was barraged with mistreatment by teachers and administrators.

We recently contacted DISD to highlight this alarming retaliation, inquire about remedial steps, and again offer our support. We urged the district not to wait for an OCR investigation to do the right thing. But we never heard back.

Now that OCR is investigating, DISD is forced to utilize its resources to respond: the district’s attorneys are presumably reviewing hundreds of documents and social media posts, and its teachers and administrators are likely being contacted during their summer breaks to meet with the OCR investigator.

Our story didn’t have to be this complex and lengthy — and it shouldn’t take legal action for school districts to do the ring thing.

Here is how school districts can direct their resources to avoid the mess DISD is in now:

1. Teach staff about the definitions of antisemitism and procedures required to address all forms of harassment, intimidation, and bullying (“HIB”) and discrimination, and ensure that antisemitism is an explicit part of the discussion on these topics. Engage staff, bring up tough questions, and use real life examples, including those from the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
2. Provide age-appropriate education to students about the dangers of antisemitism, including clear examples and consequences of discriminatory conduct. Teach about Jewish history and heritage the same way you teach about other ethnic and racial groups. To paraphrase Dara Horn, please don’t only teach kids about dead Jews.
3. If a student complains about HIB or discrimination, put it in writing and offer your immediate support. Validating feelings and showing empathy go a long way, and doing so does not mean you admit a violation of policies. Act immediately and consistently, with no double standards. Whether or not a formal complaint is submitted, check in after a few days. That is not an admission of a violation of your policies; it is simply showing concern for a student who was hurt.
4. If there is a larger pattern of discrimination in the district, address it head-on. Send a note to families about specific concerns of antisemitism — not just hate in general — and then immediately take concrete steps to address the problematic climate, not just the individual incidents.
5. Conduct investigations transparently and with urgency. Share the results in clear terms. If remedies are required, create a timeline for implementation. Follow up to review the impact of the remedies. If the issue remains unresolved, keep trying to fix it. If you hold a schoolwide assembly about antisemitism, and the next day, swastikas are drawn on desks, you have not fixed the problem.
6. Ensure that the group most impacted has a voice in the conversation.
7. If your district does not already have one, they should hire a Title VI Coordinator who will ensure meaningful and equal compliance.

There are a few weeks until school starts again. Let’s encourage our districts to use that time wisely, and to use their precious resources towards protecting all students, including those who are Jewish and/or Israeli.

Jenna Statfeld Harris is a Senior Staff Attorney, specializing in K-12 education, at the StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department. She is the lead attorney in the DISD case.

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