Parents at Robert Sanders Elementary School in San Jose are grappling with how to address hate speech with their children after a weekend break-in left anti-Semitic and other hateful symbols inside a campus facility. School officials and community leaders are looking for ways to educate children on how to be “upstanders,” when they see wrong behavior. The Mountain Pleasant Elementary School District is cooperating with the San Jose Police Department, which has not yet determined if the incident constitutes a hate crime. Education and showing consequences are seen as key components in creating change.
Parents at Robert Sanders Elementary School in San Jose are grappling with how to address hate speech with their children after a weekend break-in left anti-Semitic and other hateful symbols inside a campus facility.
Parents are concerned about how to discuss the incident with their children, with some wanting to shield younger children from the situation entirely. The incident occurred over the weekend at the school. According to photos obtained by KTVU, a mixture of hateful symbols were discovered Monday morning drawn on surfaces inside the school's staff lounge. The graffiti included a swastika, an image appearing to be Adolf Hitler, and the phrase “Hail Hitler” spelled incorrectly across a table.
A communist hammer and sickle symbol was also scrawled in the room. School officials noted that while no children saw the symbols firsthand, some students heard about the incident from teachers. Parents have been left wondering how or if they should discuss the incident with their children.
“Kids are really easily influenced, so it does scare me with everything that’s going on,” said one anonymous parent. However, the parent expressed faith in the campus community, adding “I know Robert Sanders is such a good school. Teachers are great and staff are great, and they’ll do a good job of speaking to them about it. Other parents expressed a desire to shield younger children from the situation entirely.
“It’s kind of a touchy subject, especially when it comes to hate,” said Daniel DeVargas, a father of daughters at Robert Sanders Elementary. The incident has left many families worried about the impact on their children. The CEO of Jewish Silicon Valley emphasized that these symbols also carry painful ramifications for the LGBTQ+ community and other minority groups who were impacted by the Nazis.
“For every incident that actually makes the news, there’s ten or 20 or 30 that don’t,” Klein said, sharing that he recently met a parent whose child had swastikas scrawled onto a school book in an unpublicized incident. The incident has led to increased security costs for Jewish institutions in the Bay Area, with families making threat assessments as to whether they show up to school.
The CEO works with local school districts to serve as a resource for dialogue and conversation before crises happen. He hopes this moment can be utilized to educate children on how to be “upstanders’ when they see wrong behavior.
“Can we solve most of the challenges we face through education? I think the answer is yes,” Klein said.
“Part of it is just making sure if there are things that are done, there’s consequences to the behavior, right? So it shows that it’s not acceptable. And that’s part of being able to create change as well, education and showing consequences. Other parents are calling for increased dialogue and conversation between schools and community leaders to address these types of incidents.
Parents and community leaders are coming together to work constructively. The incident is still under investigation and the district is cooperating with the San Jose Police Department. The police department has not yet determined if the incident constitutes a hate crime. Parents and community members are looking forward to working together to create a safer and more supportive community for all students
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