Metro

NJ school failed to stop harassment of Jewish student: state AG

A New Jersey school district failed to stop years of anti-Semitic harassment against a Jewish student, which included being sent a picture of the words “I H8 JEWS” scrawled in sand at a school-sponsored event, the state Attorney General’s Office announced Thursday.

The harassment at Marine Academy of Science and Technology at Sandy Hook also included swastikas drawn onto cafeteria lunch tables and students reading Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” in class, according to a complaint filed last year by her mother.

The state Attorney General’s Office issued a finding of probable cause on Thursday against the Monmouth County Vocational School District for allegedly failing to stop the harassment. The district could now be fined up to $10,000 for violating New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination, a spokesman told The Post.

The girl became “extremely upset” after getting the bigoted beach photo on her cellphone in 2018, her complaint said.

Another student made the situation worse by suggesting that the picture be used as the school’s yearbook cover, according to a complaint filed by her mother.

The girl’s father got in touch with school officials to report the photo and subsequent text messages she received, leading her to be labeled as a “snitch” by classmates, according to the complaint.

The harassment also occurred in her English class, where a rock with the word “Adolf” written on it was placed atop a water cooler behind her seat, according to the complaint.

The girl’s teacher later confirmed that the rock was tossed outside, but did not report the incident, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said.

School officials did look into the beach photo incident and suspended two students responsible for the image for four days. The student who suggested that it be featured as the yearbook cover was also disciplined, receiving a two-day suspension.

But school officials took no “broader actions to discern the extent” of anti-Semitism at the school or to assuage the girl’s concerns, the state Attorney General’s Office found.

“Hate and harassment” have no place in schools, Grewal said in a statement, adding that administrators also must ensure that students aren’t subjected to hostility due to protected characteristics like religion.

The ongoing “climate of anti-Semitism” ultimately forced the girl to transfer out of school for her senior year, according to her complaint.

A message seeking comment from district officials was not immediately returned Thursday.