Swastikas drawn at Colorado middle school after Holocaust presentation
The Cherry Creek School District says it's taking recent anti-Semitic actions very seriously.
It said some students were reportedly drawing swastikas on the grounds of Campus Middle School in Greenwood Village last week after they had sat through a presentation about the Holocaust.
The district says this is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
It's working with the Anti-Defamation League to talk about additional measures it can take to stop racism and other hate in schools.
The following letter from Campus Middle School Principal Lissa Staal was sent out to parents:
I hope this letter finds you well. I am reaching out to ask for your partnership in addressing inappropriate and concerning behaviors we are seeing within our student community. Over the weekend, we had reports of students drawing antisemitic symbols (swastikas) following our Holocaust presentation on Friday. This creates an unacceptable environment of intolerance and exclusion in our school community. When these events are reported to the administration, we address them immediately and those involved face disciplinary consequences. We are also connecting with the Anti-Defamation League to discuss additional measures that we can take to interrupt these incidents of racism in our school.
This week, we will continue to work to educate our students around the impact of this behavior through our already planned No Place for Hate Awareness Week. We are providing Advisory lessons around the negative impact and trauma that hate speech, antisemitism, anti-ableism and the use of racial slurs have on the overall culture of our school environment. We want all our students to feel safe to be themselves at CMS, and know they are seen, respected and valued as essential members of our student community.
We ask for your partnership and support with engaging in conversations with your child(ren) around these behaviors. I have included a link to a district resource you may find helpful in having these conversations with your student. I value your partnership in creating a safe and inclusive learning environment, and I welcome any questions or concerns you may have.
