‘Double Down’ On Anti-Semitism, Hate Speech: Birmingham Superintendent

BIRMINGHAM, MI — Birmingham Schools Superintendent Daniel Nerad sharply condemned anti-Semitic graffiti and hateful language that has been displayed in some areas of the school in a letter Wednesday to parents, saying that while media accounts have “relayed the facts, but have been unable to adequately express our district’s condemnation due to these cowardly acts.”

Last month, Derby Middle School authorities found a disturbing message using manipulative letters arranged to spell “Heil Hitler” and a swastika. A week later, administrators at the Birmingham school sent an email blast notifying parents that graffiti hate speech had been found on posters, bathroom walls and student work displayed in hallways. A locker was vandalized, and a musical instrument removed and damaged beyond repair.

The incidents in Birmingham mirror a rise in anti-Semitism nationally, including weeks of bomb threats targeting Jewish Community Centers, including one in Ann Arbor Monday. In January, the West Bloomfield Township Jewish Community Center was evacuated after receiving a bomb threat. Headstone were vandalized at a Jewish cemetery in Missouri.

In his letter, Nerad said the district “will investigate and mete out discipline when warranted,” and also use negative situations to “teach and re-teach how to address our differences in good and just ways.”
“We are, after all, a teaching and learning institution and we must continue to teach around our core values of diversity, collaboration and character,” he wrote. “Regarding this latter point, we are also open to new ideas about how we teach and learn about our differences, beyond our work with culturally relevant teaching practices and character education.”

• See Also: Birmingham Middle School Hate Incidents Reflect Broader Societal Issues: Superintendent

Nerad said the incidents of anti-Semitic and hateful graffiti have been “isolated and re the work of a few, the results permeate our atmosphere with fear and mistrust.”

No form of bigotry or bullying is tolerable, he said.

“We do not tolerate racism and anti-Semitism, or any other form of –ism for that matter, in any form,” Nerad wrote. “We do not tolerate bullies or those who disrespect others. We do not tolerate behaviors that devalue or denigrate anyone. Our preferred future is one where every child, parent and staff member is accepted, respected and celebrated.”

He said the district should “double down on our diversity and character education efforts.”

“While not a complete fix, we must evermore rely on this work as we move forward,” he wrote. “We also know we cannot do this work alone. As parents and guardians, I ask that you continue to talk to your sons and daughters about your family’s high expectations for their behaviors in school and highlight the importance of mutual respect and positive relationships to your sons and daughters. I encourage you to continue to have ongoing conversations with your children and help them as they question and feel pain from the actions of a very few.”

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