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As you may have seen in the news yesterday, the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) has filed a federal Title VI civil rights complaint against the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD), alleging severe, ongoing antisemitic harassment, physical assault, and systemic district inaction at Southern Hills Middle School. The details outlined are deeply disturbing, especially as our community continues to heal from the horrific antisemitic attack we experienced just over a year ago.
Our hearts go out to the student and family navigating this trauma, and to everyone in our community feeling vulnerable, sad, and/or angry right now. This morning, local Jewish community leaders met with the ADL team to discuss how we can best move forward. To our parents, teenagers, and children: you are not alone. We are here for you, and we stand united.
On behalf of our community, we are profoundly grateful to the ADL for their swift action and unwavering support of this local family and our community. We stand firmly with them in demanding accountability and systemic change. It is our sincere hope that this filing compels BVSD to engage in mediation with the ADL, with the goal of implementing comprehensive new policies and practices for the 2026–2027 school year this fall. If you feel compelled, we also encourage you to send a message to BVSD (this email address goes to all 7 BVSD Board of Education Members as well as the Superintendent and Board Secretary) expressing your hope that BVSD will sit down with a mediator and the ADL to work together to create the change we need in our district and schools.
Antisemitism is real, on the rise, and happening right here in our neighborhoods and schools. The lack of substantive action alleged in this filing is entirely unacceptable. Our students deserve more than statements of concern; they deserve schools where antisemitic behavior, violence, and hate are actively confronted and prevented. A persistent pattern of hate exists across both BVSD and the other districts that serve our community, and we must change this.
We have an important request: To support this current federal complaint and help the ADL litigation team demonstrate the true systemic nature of what Jewish students face, it is extremely helpful to report any instances of antisemitism that occurred this past school year, especially those within the last six months, directly to the ADL Legal Action Network and litigation team. We recognize that many in our community have struggled to report incidents of antisemitism at our schools in the past, and we are here to support you in reporting any instances. Our hope is that increased reporting will create the opportunity for change. Please note that these specific legal reports are confidential, and any subsequent conversation with the ADL legal team is protected by the attorney-client privilege.
To keep for your reference in terms of reporting in the future, please use and share these vital resources:
- ADL Incident Reporting: Report directly at adl.org/report-incident. It is confidential, tracks trends, and triggers legal advocacy (note: this is the standard reporting method and different from the ADL Legal Action Network link above).
- School District Reporting: Submit formal reports directly to your district administration (BVSD, SVVSD, JeffCo) to require active follow-up from principals.
- Safe2Tell Colorado: Anonymously report safety or harassment concerns at safe2tell.org or 1-877-542-7233.
- Clergy Support: Our local Clergy are available to provide spiritual and emotional care.
Together, as a resilient and united community, and in partnership with BVSD and the other districts that serve our community, we hope to ensure our children can learn in safety, dignity, and respect, free from intimidation.
With partnership and gratitude,
Jonathan Lev, Boulder JCC Executive Director
David Paul, Boulder JCC Board Chair
BVSD failed to properly respond and protect, and it would be foolish to think of this as an isolated incident. But I’d be surprised if the bullies are taught antisemitism in school. More likely, they – and perhaps accommodating school personnel – are products of the rise of Jew-hatred generating ‘antizionism’. Sadly, in the local growth of that toxic, defacto hate ideology, there is Jewish communal malpractice for not vigorously calling out, naming and pushing back against it in the many quarters where it thrives and emanates. Instead, our local Jewish communal institutions favor accommodating ‘as a Jew’ antizionists under Big Tent theory and welcome influential non-Jewish proponents into our facilities under Good Neighbor theory.
The murderous June 1 attack was apparently not enough of a wake-up call. We claimed collective grief and trauma, went into forever ‘healing’ mode, and otherwise just hardened the facilities (as we should). Perhaps this incident will shock us into action, as it involves our cherished children, our very future. We shall see once the outrage subsides.