This article was updated at 4:00 p.m., April 30, 2024, to add comments from MCPS spokesperson Chris Cram.
Officials at Thomas W. Pyle Middle School in Bethesda are investigating an incident Friday in which a drawing of a swastika was found on a classroom table, according to a letter Principal Chris Nardi wrote to families late Friday afternoon.
Nardi wrote in the letter that the incident was “discouraging” for him because the school had held a town hall the previous week in which the school community “discussed the importance of having a strong supportive community, continuing to develop a culture of respect for everyone in our building, and maintaining a climate that is positive and inclusive.”
In an emailed statement Tuesday, MCPS spokesperson Chris Cram said “antisemitism is a reprehensible form of discrimination that has no place in our community.
“As a district, we call it out, combat it through education and hold accountable any individual identified as a result of an incident investigation,” he said. Cram also noted that while MCPS educates students in schools, the district needs the support of parents, guardians, caregivers and community leaders to speak out against antisemitism.
The discovery of the antisemitic symbol at the middle school comes during a year in which numerous incidents of antisemitic behavior and graffiti in Montgomery County Public Schools have been reported, some of which occurred before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Since the attack, the district has been grappling with how to respond to incidents in its diverse school community, including a spike in antisemitic incidents occurring in elementary schools to high schools. The district also has faced controversy concerning four teachers who were investigated and placed on leave for sharing pro-Palestinian views.
Friday’s incident is not the first time antisemitic vandalism has occurred at Pyle this school year. In October, MoCo360 reported that “hate-based vandalism” was discovered on the blacktop of the school’s basketball courts.
Nardi wrote the school is investigating the incident and has contacted Montgomery County police. He also wrote that “reporting protocols have been followed” for hate-bias incidents and any student found responsible will be disciplined following the MCPS Student Code of Conduct.
According to the Code of Conduct, “displaying images and/or symbols that promote hate or discrimination based on race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation” falls under the category of “destruction of property.” Interventions come in a range of consequences from requirements to perform community service and peer mediation to in-school suspension or expulsion.
Cram said the Student Code of Conduct “provides progressive discipline combined with our MCPS restorative practices, [which] is used to prevent future incidents and educate our students.”
“We are a wonderfully diverse community, and we must continue to take a stand against acts of hate and harmful rhetoric. We value our inclusive community and must provide a safe, welcoming place for all students to learn,” Nardi wrote.
He added the incident is a reminder to “educate and reinforce to students the impact that hateful words and symbols have on others and to call out and expose antisemitism when it happens.”
In the letter, Nardi shared educational resources from the Anti-Defamation League on antisemitism and how to talk about it with young people.