School Board Chair: “We Prohibit Antisemitism. We Took Action.”

This morning, “06880” posted a letter from Rabbi Cantor Shirah Sklar, regarding Andrew Goldberg’s Newsweek story about his son’s experience with antisemitism in middle school.

Westport Board of Education chair Lee Goldstein responds:

As a member of the Westport Jewish community and chair of the Board of Education, I personally feel the real and understandable fear, anger and anguish many Jews are currently experiencing.

I am also deeply troubled by the rabbi’s letter today on “06880.”

I feel compelled to respond publicly, because the compassionate, professional teachers and administrators who run our school district and support our children are being unjustly accused of ignoring antisemitism.

No one should minimize the pain that antisemitic bullying causes – and no one did that here. If we are going to fight antisemitism, we must encourage people to report it, and we know they won’t unless they trust us to respond and take action.

In this situation, our administration did just that. Our educators not only followed all applicable laws, policies, and procedures, they also worked respectfully and compassionately with all the families involved to try to reach acceptable solutions and address with sensitivity the interactions among minor children.

For good – but very frustrating – reasons, under federal law only individuals directly responsible for the education and safety of our students can be privy to details of student incidents. All schools are legally bound to protect the privacy of all students and families. I would like to say I wish that the rabbi had reached out to the district before publishing her letter, but the hard truth is that even if she had, we could not have shared any additional information.

In this case, our team gathered the facts; considered the needs, feelings, and well-being of the children involved, and implemented appropriate safety measures, supports and corrective actions, including consequences.

At a time when some leaders may hide behind jargon and policies, that is not what we are doing. We prohibit antisemitism and take action against it, including in this matter. I fear that accusing people of ignoring or minimizing antisemitism without having all the facts will make matters worse.

In partnership with ADL and other experts, we will continue to engage with the community, combat antisemitism, and do all we can to prevent and respond to incidents when they occur.

The importance of these steps cannot be overstated. I have great faith in our Westport Public Schools and broader community to learn from these challenges and come together to lead the way in the fight against antisemitism.