A Newsweek “My Turn” column alleging antisemitism in Westport — and charging the school district with a lack of response — has turned a national spotlight on the town.
Andrew Goldberg begins:
I didn’t know what hurt more: The antisemitism directed at our seventh-grade son or our public school administration’s attempts to silence us about what happened to him.
Both seared like a brand.
Goldberg — identified in a bio note as “an Emmy Award-winning documentary producer and director” — says that his son was taunted in 6th grade.
It escalated, Goldberg says, in 7th grade, and progressed to “targeted antisemitism.”
A friend invited him to sign up for “Camp Auschwitz,” with “great showers,” Goldberg writes. The same boy then began saying “We must exterminate the Jews” — a chant he heard watching “South Park” with Goldberg’s son.
Goldberg continues, “Word spread in our town. In its retelling, we were villains.”
He says that the bullying of his son continued. Friends dropped away. Feeling out of options, Goldberg and his wife enrolled their son in a private Jewish school.
Goldberg hired an education attorney, who asked the Westport Public Schools to help offset some of the tuition of the new school, and answer questions about training and policies to deal with what had happened to Goldberg’s son.
Their answers, he says, were “far too little, much too late.”
Goldberg and his wife felt the confidentiality clause in a settlement agreement was too prohibitive. They refused to sign,
In the aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israel, Goldberg writes, “Now, more than ever, speaking out about antisemitism is needed. Remaining silent was simply something we could not do.
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“06880” asked superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice for a comment. He says:
“The Westport Public Schools categorically rejects antisemitism and has no tolerance for antisemitism or any other form of hate. We address each issue and report head-on as they arise. Our response is done in a manner designed to help students feel safe and welcome in our schools.
“It is deeply saddening to know that our community members, specifically members of our Jewish community, have concerns that we do not take these matters seriously, particularly at this point in time. Although our hope is that the words below convey our commitment to no tolerance for any form of hate, we know that it is the actions that we take, proactively and responsively, that matter most.
“Across our schools, the district provides student programming and staff training from reputable institutions such as Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other organizations to help foster a school climate in which students feel a sense of safety and belonging.
“It is understandable that community members will have serious concerns when they hear stories that paint a very different picture. In full disclosure, this is a challenge because we have a duty and commitment to honor student privacy rights. However, we can assure the community we are absolutely vigilant in addressing discrimination, harassment, and other forms of hate-based conduct.
“When reports are made with us about student interactions, in school or outside of school hours, including allegations of bias or hate-based discriminatory conduct, our schools immediately respond with our Identity-Based Incident’ protocol, established to implement the Board of Education Hate-Based Conduct’ policy (#0525).
“The response is centered on the following steps: (1) thoroughly investigate and ensure student safety, (2) address (i.e. consequences for substantiated acts, learning experiences), (3) restore relationships.
“Our response to these concerns always includes prioritizing the safety of students first, which usually means creating a safety plan, while incorporating parent feedback, for the students involved as we investigate.
Superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice.
“We then conduct a thorough investigation and, depending on our findings, address substantiated findings in a variety of ways. This includes disciplinary consequences, longer-term safety measures, interventions to address the school climate, training for staff, and learning opportunities for students. When all parties are ready, we create and facilitate opportunities for the students involved to restore relationships within the school community.
“While our response to concerns of hate-based conduct is critical, a vitally important aspect of our program includes implementing proactive measures for students that foster a school climate in which students feel safe and welcome.
“To that end, we have provided programs to our students to help them understand the impact of their words and actions on others. Some of these programs include the Second Step SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) curriculum (e.g. empathy and kindness lessons, and perspective taking), ADL ‘identity-based’ anti-bullying lessons, the Responsive Classroom model, the Ruler program, heritage month celebrations, using our 6-12 advisory programs (e.g., ‘Connections’) to lead discussions on these topics.
“Staff professional development programs addressing this need have included: ADL scenario-based training (i.e. responding to bias/hate-based incidents), training on microaggressions/subtle acts of exclusion, and school-based DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging) committee book clubs. In addition, given our commitment to this work, the district has begun to explore the pathway for a ‘No Place for Hate’ designation by the ADL.
“As always, we invite community members to share any concerns about their experiences in our schools. We are committed to maintaining a school climate that is safe and welcoming to all, and we recognize that there is always more work to be done.
“We look forward to partnering with the community in confronting these difficult issues.”
Click here to read the full Newsweek column by Andrew Goldberg.