WASHINGTON — Baltimore City Public Schools is the subject of a federal probe following a complaint alleging “egregious and persistent discrimination” — with one still-employed teacher accused of threatening to “go all Nazi” on a Jewish student and other classmates saying “all Jews should die.”
President Trump’s Education Department launched the Title VI investigation after receiving evidence that Charm City schools tolerated pervasive harassment of Jewish kids in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The same teacher who made the “go all Nazi” threat also “personally directed Nazi salutes towards a Jewish student,” according to the complaint filed Thursday with the department’s Office of Civil Rights.
A subsequent BCPS investigation confirmed the incident occurred, but no disciplinary action was taken against the teacher, who is still employed by the city.
Students also tormented their Jewish peers by exclaiming that “6 million was not enough,” in reference to the Holocaust, and scrawling Nazi graffiti on desks and in textbooks, the complaint alleged.
Nazi salutes were also performed on the playground, while other students allegedly taunted Jewish classmates by saying: “We should call Hamas and have them come here.”
The incidents left Jewish students “afraid to walk down the hallways alone and … unable to focus on schoolwork,” according to the Education Department.
“The allegations that Baltimore City Public Schools tolerate virulent Nazi-inspired anti-Semitic harassment of its Jewish students is at once appalling and infuriating,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor in a statement.
“When a teacher allegedly directs a Nazi salute toward a Jewish student, or non-Jewish students harass their Jewish contemporaries by saying ‘all Jews should die,’ we are not simply talking about contemptible bullying; we are talking about a shocking abdication of educator responsibility that constitutes unlawful anti-Semitic harassment under Title VI.”
“If true,” Trainor added, “these allegations confirm a disturbing trend: too many of our nation’s educational institutions are failing American students by inculcating in them a loathing for their own country and fellow citizens and a tolerance and acceptance for a deeply destructive ancient hatred.
“The Trump-McMahon Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights will vigorously investigate this matter and ensure American Jewish students can learn and flourish in an environment free from unlawful discrimination,” he said.
Baltimore’s public school system made embarrassing headlines last month when a July 22 Board of School Commissioners meeting was hijacked by the playing of a pornographic video that featured swastikas and antisemitic slurs during the public comment portion of proceedings.
“Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) is committed to fostering a culture of tolerance, respect, and civility. Bullying and harassment have no place in our schools, and we unequivocally reject antisemitism and hate in any form,” a spokeswoman said in a statement, acknowledging concerns had previously been raised by the Anti-Defamation League.
“City Schools stands in solidarity with our Jewish community and with all who seek to create safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environments,” the spokeswoman added. “We have condemned hateful behavior and taken action to hold students and staff accountable when our values and policies are violated.”
