Parents in Virginia are taking legal action against the Nysmith School for the Gifted and its headmaster, Kenneth R. Nysmith, after their three children were expelled following complaints about antisemitic bullying directed at their 11-year-old daughter. The lawsuit, filed with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office of Civil Rights, alleges the school failed to respond to escalating incidents of harassment and instead retaliated against the family for raising the issue.
According to the complaint filed by parents Brian Vazquez and Ashok Roy, their daughter became the target of antisemitic abuse shortly after the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks in Israel, which left over 1,200 people dead. The harassment reportedly began when students started calling Jewish people “baby-killers” and saying they “deserve to die because of what is happening in Gaza.” The parents claim these incidents were accompanied by pro-Palestinian stickers placed on school-issued laptops and lockers, reinforcing a hostile environment.
A northern Virginia private school hung up a Palestinian flag in the school gym and taught the kids that H!tler was a “strong historical leader,” before expelling Jewish kids who complained. pic.twitter.com/sSGphCJTk1
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) July 1, 2025
The lawsuit highlights a particularly disturbing moment in a classroom setting: a social studies project celebrating “strong historical leaders,” in which a student used Adolf Hitler’s image. The photo of the project was allegedly shared with the entire school community, triggering what the parents describe as “persistent and severe anti-Semitic harassment.”
Vazquez and Roy say they reported the incidents to headmaster Kenneth Nysmith, who initially promised to address the concerns but failed to act. The complaint further alleges that Nysmith escalated the situation by hanging a Palestinian flag in the school gymnasium. After that decision, the harassment reportedly intensified.
Children in the school allegedly placed “pro-Palestine stickers on school-issued laptops and lockers” and taunted the Jewish children for being “Israeli.”
Other kids described Jews as “baby killers” and said “they deserve to die because of what is happening in Gaza.”
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) July 1, 2025
When the parents followed up and pleaded for intervention, Nysmith allegedly dismissed their concerns, telling them to advise their daughter to “toughen up,” before abruptly ending the meeting. Just two days later, the family received notice that all three of their children were being expelled.
In a letter explaining the decision, Nysmith reportedly cited a “profound lack of trust” between the school and the parents as the reason for the expulsion, stating that he saw no “path forward.”
When the family raised concerns about this and other incidents, the school told them to “toughen up.”
Two days after that call, all three of their kids were expelled via email—right before mid-semester grades and after nearby schools’ application deadlines had passed. pic.twitter.com/Z9OGSLGcBj
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) July 1, 2025
The complaint accuses the school of allowing antisemitism to take root and failing to provide a safe environment for Jewish students. It also alleges retaliation against the family for exercising their right to raise civil rights concerns under Virginia law.
