Washington, D.C. (July 1, 2025) – In a shocking development that highlights the growing normalization of antisemitism in American schools, a prominent Jewish legal advocacy group has filed a civil rights complaint against Nysmith School for the Gifted in Herndon, Virginia. The complaint, filed today by The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Dillon PLLC, alleges that the private K–8 school expelled three Jewish siblings in retaliation for their parents, Brian Vazquez and Dr. Ashok Roy, reporting antisemitic bullying targeting their sixth-grade daughter.
The complaint, submitted to the Office for Civil Rights within the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, asserts that the school’s conduct violated the Virginia Human Rights Act, which obligates institutions categorized as public accommodations—including tuition-based private schools to ensure a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students.
A Pattern of Abuse and Retaliation
According to the filing, the family’s 11-year-old daughter was relentlessly bullied by classmates for being Jewish and “Israeli.” Peers reportedly called Jews “baby killers,” said they “deserved to die” because of the war in Gaza, and mocked the girl by claiming “everyone at the school is against Jews and Israel.” The harassment allegedly intensified after bullies falsely stated they were glad her uncle had died in the October 7 Hamas jihad terror attacks, despite the fact that he had passed away years earlier in an unrelated incident.
The complaint says the hostile environment intensified after the school displayed a drawing of Adolf Hitler, created in a sixth-grade classroom project on “strong historical leaders,” and circulated a photo of it to the entire school community via its shared online folder.
When the parents first saw the Hitler artwork, they chose not to complain immediately, believing it was an isolated lapse in judgment by one teacher. Only after the bullying grew severe did they realize it was part of a broader hostile environment toward Jews.
Just days after first learning of the harassment, the girl’s father offered to help the school arrange a Holocaust survivor to speak, continuing its longstanding Holocaust education program. But the school rejected the offer and canceled the event altogether. According to the complaint, Headmaster Kenneth Nysmith said the Holocaust program might “inflame emotions” within the school community in light of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
By contrast, the complaint says the school soon raised a Palestinian flag in the gymnasium without concern for inflaming emotions, further emboldening the bullies. Classmates allegedly pointed to the flag and told the girl, “we won” and “everyone hates Jews.”
After the family raised concern a second time, this time explicitly stating they did not object to the flag itself, but feared it had fueled further harassment, the headmaster allegedly told them to advise their daughter to “toughen up.” Within 48 hours, all three of the family’s children, two sixth-grade daughters and a second-grade son, were expelled via email, effective immediately. According to the complaint, the school then barred the daughter from receiving a medal she had earned for a science fair project the next day. They refused to return the children’s belongings for two months, eventually threatening to throw them out unless collected by a deadline.
None of the expelled children had any disciplinary infractions, and all were reportedly top-performing students. The family had previously been praised by the school’s administration, with the headmaster writing in March 2024, “We are very honored to have [the parent] and his family as part of the Nysmith community.”
A Culture of Antisemitism
The complaint also reveals disturbing signs that Nysmith School tolerated, if not fostered, a broader culture hostile to Jews. In October 2024, students in a history class reportedly completed a group art project on “strong historical leaders” that prominently featured a drawing of Adolf Hitler. The school circulated the image to the entire parent community via its shared online folder, and the complaint says it sent a chilling message to Jewish families.
“These facts are simply appalling,” said Hon. Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Center and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights. “The administration not only ignored this family’s cries for help, but it also punished them for speaking out. Through its inaction and retaliation, Nysmith sent a disturbing message: bullying is tolerable, as long as the victims are Jewish.”
Marcus added, “This is exactly why legal accountability and public outrage are essential. We cannot allow antisemitism to become normalized in our children’s schools.”
Legal Experts: “Beyond the Pale”
Justin Dillon, lead counsel from Dillon PLLC, echoed those sentiments. “I could not be prouder to work with the Brandeis Center to file this complaint,” Dillon said. “Summarily expelling three young Jewish kids after their parents reported anti-Semitic abuse is beyond the pale. And don’t get me started on that picture of Hitler—it’s indefensible.”
Nysmith School has not issued a public response as of the time of this writing.
In addition to seeking damages, the complaint urges the Virginia Attorney General’s Office to formally investigate Nysmith School and Kenneth Nysmith. It calls for the appointment of an independent monitor, mandatory antisemitism training for staff and students, and systemic policy reforms to ensure a safe, nondiscriminatory educational environment moving forward.
Part of a National Pattern
This case is part of a broader legal and cultural battle being waged in classrooms across the United States. Earlier this year, the Brandeis Center filed a similar complaint against the Fulton County School District in Georgia for persistent antiSemitic bullying. The U.S. Department of Education is actively investigating multiple complaints filed by the Brandeis Center against the University of Massachusetts Amherst, American University, Yale University, and Scripps College. Harvard University has already reached a settlement in a separate Brandeis case, agreeing to formally recognize Zionism as central to Jewish identity and explicitly banning harassment of Jews and Zionists under its campus rules.
As political and ideological tensions surrounding the Middle East intensify, Jewish students in the United States are increasingly being made scapegoats, and schools are increasingly failing to protect them.
The Brandeis Center is calling for immediate action from Virginia authorities and renewed public scrutiny on how private and public schools alike handle antisemitic incidents.
The post Hitler Art, Gaza Slurs, and Targeted Jewish Expulsions: Civil Rights Complaint Slams Elite Nysmith School in Herndon, Virginia appeared first on RAIR.
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