Reports of antisemitism: Carmel school district reaches resolution with Department of Education
CARMEL >> Jewish students in Carmel Unified School District have dealt with multiple incidents of antisemitic harassment over the past three school years, according to a federal civil rights investigation.
The investigation documented 15 alleged incidents of harassment dating back to 2021, including graffiti depicting swastikas, a verbal threat to Jewish students and a reference to Hitler. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights sent a 13-page letter to Superintendent Sharon Ofek on Friday stating the district “failed to take prompt and effective steps reasonably calculated to end a known hostile environment for students of shared Jewish ancestry.”
The Office for Civil Rights determined the district violated Title VI, a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin. As a result, the report recommends the district take several steps to retroactively address these allegations and any future claims of harassment.
The district did not admit to violating the law, but it did come to a Resolution Agreement with the Office for Civil Rights. The district agreed to take 10 steps to resolve the issue, including reviewing the incidents that took place from 2021-24 and determining any further action needed, implementing new ways to track reports of harassment as well as the district’s responses and conducting a districtwide assessment of school climate, “specifically regarding antisemitism.”
In a prepared statement, Ofek said she is “fully committed to creating a safe environment for all of our students, as a school needs to be a place for growth and learning, not trauma.
“As a Jewish-American, I fully support this major step towards ensuring that antisemitism is completely eradicated from the classroom, culture, and overall learning environment,” said Ofek. “To the victims whose unfortunate experiences led to the OCR investigation, know that you are not alone, and I am always here to support you.”
