The private Nysmith School in Northern Virginia will pay approximately $100,000 to a Jewish family whose three children were expelled. As previously reported, the school expelled three Jewish siblings last July who faced severe antisemitic harassment following the October 7 massacre, during a period when students at the school drew Hitler as a "strong leader."
According to the complaint filed with the Virginia Attorney General's Office, students at the school harassed the Jewish girl and referred to her as "Israeli" in a derogatory manner. The students called Jews "baby killers" and mocked the death of the girl's aunt, telling her they were happy the aunt died on October 7 – despite the fact that she had passed away years earlier. Just two days after the parents reported the incident to the school principal, they received an email stating their children were being expelled.
Under the settlement with the Attorney General's Office, the school committed to paying financial compensation to the family and issuing a statement against violence based on race or religion. Additionally, the school will establish a committee to review similar complaints and adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism. The settlement also includes hiring an external supervisor to review the committee's work and conducting annual staff training on antisemitism.
