During the first week of classes at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), a swastika was discovered on a computer screen of a student at Westland Middle School in Bethesda.
According to a letter to school parents and guardians dated Sept. 1 from Principal Alison Serino, “a drawing of a swastika was discovered today on a computer screen in one of our classrooms. It was quickly removed and the teacher addressed the students about the impact this hate symbol has on members of our school and community and it will not be tolerated.”
The student who did “this unacceptable act will receive consequences,” she wrote.
Westland is an international baccalaureate world school. Staff there “will continue our work with all of our students to help them understand the impact of hateful and hurtful words and symbols of antisemitism,” Serino wrote.
For that to happen, Serino wrote, all students must respect each other. She asked parents to speak with their children about respecting everyone’s differences.
First week of school: Antisemitism at Westland Middle School, Bethesda https://t.co/3zNRlajUtK
— Paula Bienenfeld (@PBienenfeld) September 2, 2023
