District creating plan to tackle hate and antisemitism

Following several reported incidents in recent weeks, Weston Public Schools is designing a district-wide plan to combat hate and antisemitism.

Three unrelated incidents have been reported in the last month: an eighth-grade student copied and pasted a swastika image and presented it in class on Oct. 16; a student drew a swastika in dry-erase marker in a seventh grade classroom on Oct. 30 and a student discovered a swastika drawn in a high school bathroom stall on Nov. 4.

Middle School Principal Philip Oates said in an interview that the district is committed to addressing hateful incidents to ensure the safety of students.

“We can’t normalize a small act of hate,” Oates said. “We just continually have to stand up to bigoted behavior.”

Following the Oct. 16 report, Superintendent Karen Zaleski said in a statement that it is the district’s policy to collaborate with law enforcement when such incidents occur and that each one is addressed individually.

“In general, we as an administration work closely with other town departments (in this case, it was the Police Department) and other organizations as appropriate,” Zaleski stated. “Thankfully, incidents like this are not frequent, so each is handled on a case-by-case basis to ensure that we are sensitive to those impacted.”

On Nov. 7, Middle School students gathered in the auditorium for a presentation on discrimination, hate and the power of symbols. Oates said he talked to students about how symbols can evoke strong feelings in people, as well as how a “small act of hate” can begin to snowball into a much bigger movement. He also shared information about the swastika, Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.

These efforts to educate students, which include bullying and harassment training, as well as teaching students how to be upstanders, are rooted in safety, according to Oates.

“Kid safety is our number one priority,” Oates said. “You can’t learn if you’re not safe.”

Oates said students in Weston typically learn about the Holocaust in eighth grade – state law mandates school districts teach students about the Holocaust and other genocides prior to graduation – and the district has been implementing more “cross-curricular” content by training 15 educators. He noted the eighth grade trip to Washington D.C. each year includes a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Zaleski, in a letter sent to the school community on Nov. 4, urged families to continue discussions at home about kindness, empathy and the real impact of hateful acts.

“These moments – though difficult – can be powerful opportunities to help young people understand the importance of respect and the shared responsibility we all have in creating a safe and inclusive community,” Zaleski wrote.

Zaleski said district administrators and school principles will formalize a district-wide plan to combat hate and antisemitism. The district will examine curriculum, professional development and community awareness opportunities.

Administrators and the district’s Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Committee will vet the plan, which will also be reviewed in parent forums this winter. Administrators will present Weston’s “Steps Forward to Combating Hate and Anti-Semitism” in the spring, according to Zaleski’s letter.

“In the meantime, together, we must ensure our schools remain safe, welcoming environments where all students can learn and thrive without fear of discrimination or hate,” Zaleski wrote.

Weston is not alone in addressing incidents of hate. In neighboring Wayland, town and school officials are investigating an alleged Oct. 30 racist incident in the school’s locker room in which a Black student’s jersey was placed on a “children at play” street sign and then hung by a belt from a pipe in the locker room, according to Boston 25 News.

An April 2025 report from the Anti-Defamation League recorded an all-time high 638 acts of antisemitism in New England (excluding Connecticut), marking the fifth consecutive year with an increase in antisemitic incidents.