EASTHAMPTON — A state investigation has cleared Easthampton Public Schools of wrongdoing in its handling of alleged antisemitic incidents in 2024, finding the district responded appropriately despite claims from one resident who said officials failed to address a “hostile environment” for Jewish students.
The claims were made by former Easthampton City Councilor Owen Zaret, who filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) last August. DESE’s Problem Resolution System Office (PRS) released its findings on Feb. 3, ruling that the district complied with state and federal law to address the incidents, regardless of whether they created a “hostile environment” under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The alleged antisemitic acts include targeting a high school student for wearing clothing with Hebrew lettering and targeting a middle school student who subsequently transitioned to homeschooling. Other incidents reviewed in the report include discovering a swastika scratched into a desk and a notebook found at the high school in which a student wrote, “I hate Jews,” and used a racial slur written as “N_____,” in the report.
“It’s great that this was documented somewhere by the district and that ultimately this did not result in a Title VI violation,” Zaret said in an interview this week. “What is concerning, though, is it raises questions of the environment and especially since it brings to light four known incidents of antisemitism in the district that were previously not disclosed.”
According to the report, Zaret claims that the district “fostered a harmful and hostile environment towards Jewish residents and students through refusal to evaluate resources to address growing threats of antisemitism in schools.”
The DESE investigation, however, found that the district disclosed the incidents when Easthampton High School Principal William Evans sent an email to the school community on Dec. 19, 2024, stating that administrators had discovered the “incidents of hate-based graffiti” and that an investigation was being conducted. Further communications were sent to families by the district regarding the path of investigation and the planned long-term approach to address the presence of hate speech in the district.
Since the district responded promptly, the report says that PRS does not need to determine if the alleged conduct resulted in a hostile environment, which would trigger Title VI.
“The District took prompt and appropriate actions to address the incidents that occurred during the period of investigation,” the report states.
The report also states that the district took several “additional steps” to address Zaret’s concerns, including meeting with him, notifying law enforcement of the reported conduct, and developing anti-bias curriculum with input from school staff, students, and parents.
Zaret, who was a city councilor at the time, says that the district should have clearly identified the incidents as antisemitic. He also feels that the district tried to downplay the incidents from the public. “You should make a statement of support with the Jewish community — call it what it is. It’s very concerning when it gets diluted and just gets called hate,” Zaret said.
Also, Zaret says that the findings from the report were procedural and do not answer whether the district was transparent or willing to label the incidents as antisemitism when they occurred.
Evans told the Gazette that in his communication to the community in 2024, he encouraged anyone who wanted to know about the specifics of the “hate speech” to contact him and he would be transparent about it.
“It was not a deliberate attempt to conceal; it was a deliberate attempt to give people the opportunity to ask,” Evans said in a phone interview with the Gazette on Wednesday.
Evans said it’s important to be sensitive when reporting such incidents to the community.
“Our thinking here is that I, as a member of the public, who opens an email from the school may not want to know that a swastika was drawn in a notebook,” Evans said. “That might not be something I want to know. But if you want to know, then you can reach out and ask.”
Evans said he was pleased with DESE’s findings, but added that creating inclusivity in schools is an ongoing process. He said students do not always report instances of bullying or harassment, which is why it is important to take every measure to help students feel welcome.
“I really support the work that Owen is doing,” Evans said. “I think that it’s important work for the community and I appreciate his pushing on us to make sure our process is good and that they align with our expectations with the state.”
In an email dated Jan. 8, 2025, Evans wrote to Zaret, “It was my impression that you agreed with me that broadcasting the specific nature of the graffiti to the public was not necessarily wise … I was therefore surprised to see that you had reached out to the Mayor and the School Committee stating ‘it would be helpful if you would disclose the nature of the content of the hate speech and symbols.'”
Zaret says at the time of the incidents, in late 2024, he was taking other actions to call attention to antisemitic behaviors in the community. He felt the district and city were deflecting his attempts to communicate.
“There seems to be a concerted effort here or had been a concerted effort historically to both either deny or distract from the fact that these were antisemitic incidents,” Zaret said.
While she was not superintendent at the time of the alleged antisemitic incidents, current Superintendent Michelle Balch said that the report clearly states that the district followed protocols to address the situation.
“We addressed it how we thought was in the best interest of our students and that was confirmed by DESE,” Balch said.
Balch said the district is always looking to improve practices to promote inclusivity and reduce instances of hate. When instances like this do occur, she said the district acts quickly following protocols and policy to address the situation.
Balch noted that the district includes a“Crosswalk” online, which outlines how its policies align with DESE’s recommendations for antisemitism prevention, including recommendations from the state Commission on Combatting Antisemitism.
“When it does happen, students may not always be aware of the impact of whatever it is — either it is words or actions or a symbol — and our job is to really provide that understanding and to do that prevention work” for students, Balch said.
Mayor responds
Zaret also feels that Mayor Salem Derby has deflected his requests to address antisemitism in the school district, and the city at large. Zaret recently asked Derby to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism recommended by DESE, which Derby denied.
Zaret also asked for an additional “third-party” oversight to examine antisemitism in the district.
“The city acknowledges that antisemitism is a real problem, but I am in the middle of a budget season looking at a potential few-million-dollar shortfall,” Derby told the Gazette.
In an email responding to Zaret’s request, Derby wrote, “The City has already taken a clear moral position condemning antisemitism. Our schools operate under established federal and state civil-rights frameworks, including Title VI protections, which were applied in the incidents you [Zaret] reference.”
Derby added that he has to be mindful of the broader community, noting that he has received multiple requests to not adopt the IHRA definition.
“As Mayor, I must also weigh broader responsibilities, including safeguarding First Amendment protections and ensuring that City policy does not unintentionally create ambiguity around lawful speech,” Derby wrote to Zaret.
“What the (DESE) report found was the school was completely compliant and went above and beyond,” Derby told the Gazette.
Zaret said in 2024 after the incidents happened, he reached out to Derby feeling that he was someone who seemed “sensible” and had a long tenure on the council.
“I brought all these concerns to his attention that there were these incidents that were occurring that the actions or responses from the school district as well as the school committee was underwhelming or just not responsive … and he totally dismissed the whole thing,” Zaret said about Derby.
Derby told the Gazette that Zaret gave false information to DESE about the statements Derby made.
“I can tell you with 100% certainty that those words would never come out of my mouth,” Derby said.
Zaret resigned as a city councilor in February 2025, amid a request for censure by the School Committee. Members accused Zaret of inappropriate behavior which “escalated to incidents of clearly unprofessional and unacceptable conduct.”
Derby said Zaret needs to take a step back and approach the way he is pushing his narrative differently. He added that Zaret previously sent dozens of text messages at one time to a school committee member attempting to communicate with them.
Zaret said that he hopes to continue working in the future to battle antisemitism in schools and in the community. “This isn’t about me. I’m doing this to serve the city.”