StandWithUs Files Title VI Complaint Against Dallas Independent School District;
Jewish Students at Hillcrest High School Face Ongoing Harassment, Intimidation, Marginalization and Discrimination
(April 10, 2024 - Dallas, TX) – On April 9, 2024, StandWithUs and a Jewish student filed a federal Title VI civil rights complaint with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) against the Dallas Independent School District for enabling a hostile environment for Jews at Hillcrest High School, including harassment, intimidation, marginalization, and discrimination against Jewish students.
The complaint details incidents that include verbal taunting; ridiculing with reference to Hitler, Auschwitz gas chambers, and the Holocaust; and highly offensive name-calling like “dirty Jew” and “filthy kike.” Many of these incidents occurred in plain sight of teachers and administrators, both in the classroom and in school common areas—but the school took no action to protect Jewish students. The student reported at least two swastikas that were drawn in bathroom stalls in 2023, one of which was accompanied by the words “Burn the Jews.” According to the complaint, at least two other families complained about antisemitism at Hillcrest and subsequently left the school.
Following a grievance filed last fall with the school district, administrators promised to focus on antisemitism at an upcoming professional training for staff. But earlier this year, the school disclosed it had instead focused on “anti-racism” and generally avoided any focus on antisemitism. Acts of antisemitism continue today with little to no action taken by the school or district.
The complaint filed with OCR, which can be found online here, requests the Department intervene to protect the student’s civil rights, appoint an independent investigator to examine the climate at Hillcrest, and ensure that the district meets its federal obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
“People don't realize that many of the same concerns we have about rising antisemitism on college campuses are also playing out in high schools like Hillcrest,” said Roz Rothstein, StandWithUs CEO. “Hate and racism, if not stopped in its tracks, will fester like the dangerous cancer that it is, and grow. Administrations and faculty must intervene early or face the consequences of their unfortunate inaction.”
“Throughout my entire high school experience, I have been a victim of harassment and bullying due to being Jewish. It has been extremely difficult to attend a school where both students and staff enable antisemitism and face no consequences. Some people have asked me why I don't switch schools, but doing so would cause the problem to continue, allowing the school and all its administrators to avoid making changes and being held accountable. My goal is to ensure that Hillcrest High School becomes a safer environment for all students, especially Jewish students, not only during these horrific times of war in Israel but always,” said Co-Complainant, a StandWithUs Leventhal High School Intern and Hillcrest High School Student.
StandWithUs (SWU) is an international, non-partisan education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism. SWU achieves this dual mission through educational programs, print and digital materials, videos, weekly newsletters, briefings, workshops, legal resources, Holocaust education, coalitions, missions to Israel, and so much more. SWU also leads on social media platforms, reaching millions of people each day with timely educational content. Through its many departments working together, SWU provides people with the tools they need to educate others about Israel, counter bias and misinformation, and fight bigotry against Jews. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization has chapters and offices throughout the U.S., in Israel, Canada, the UK, Brazil, Argentina, and Australia. More at www.standwithus.com.
