Brandeis Center Responds To Rizzi Letter On Swastika Incident

STOUGHTON, MA — The Brandeis Center For Human Rights Under Law has issued a new letter responding to a letter from Stoughton Superintendent Marguerite Rizzi.

The newest letter, written by Brandeis Senior Civil Rights Fellow Jennifer Gross, says their investigation into a teacher who was reprimanded for discussing an incident involving a student posting a swastika at Stoughton High School was not one-sided.

"We primarily relied on the reports of the school district’s investigator for factual information. The investigation reports present the findings that are the basis of the district’s decision to impose discipline on these teachers – in other words, they are, or should be, the best source of the district’s view of the underlying facts. Thus, to the extent that you claim our letter presents false information, we respectfully disagree, and we ask that you share with us the specific statements you have in mind, rather than make blanket claims that our entire letter is simply false," the letter read.

In her letter to the Brandies Center, Rizzi called the group's accusations "unfair and untrue."

We also relied on your correspondence. Your January 27, 2017 letter to the school community begins with the statement that this incident and other incidents involving swastikas “have been incorrectly described as hate speech[.]” That statement was of particular concern to us. The swastika is the archetypical symbol of anti-Semitic hate, and the statement referencing “the way they burned the Jews” – directed at a student who was upset by John Doe’s swastika and asked him to take it down – is easily classified at hate speech," Gross' letter continues.

The incident in question was one of three reported last November and December. While the student identified as John Doe was suspended, one teacher was also suspended for discussing the issue and another, identified as Stella Martin received a letter of reprimand after the student's mother filed a complaint claiming that her son was bullied. Martin contends that during her discussion about the incident with her honors English class, the student's name never came up and she has never met him.