AMHERST — Families of students at Amherst Regional Middle School are being notified about an antisemitic incident that occurred Monday when a student gave a Nazi salute during class — the latest in a series of incidents that have occurred at area schools in recent years.

On Monday evening, interim Principal Michael Sullivan sent an email to caregivers and the middle school community that the administration received information “that a student performed a Nazi salute in one of our classes today.”

“We are saddened and disturbed by this hateful act, which is unacceptable and violates the values of respect and inclusion that we strive to uphold in our school community,” Sullivan wrote.

The message suggested that families have conversations with their children about the importance of respect and inclusion and how hate and discrimination are harmful.

“We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students, regardless of their background or beliefs,” Sullivan wrote. “Antisemitism, like all forms of hate, has no place in our school.”

His message added that steps are being taken by the school where seventh and eighth graders from Amherst, Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury are educated.

“We are taking this matter seriously and are working to determine the facts and take appropriate action,” Sullivan wrote. “We are also providing support and resources to any students and staff who may be impacted by this incident.”

The incident comes after other area communities have been dealing with alleged antisemitic incidents.

In Easthampton, Owen Zaret recently resigned his seat on the City Council after the School Committee read into the record a request for the City Council to censure him. That committee’s members said Zaret’s efforts to get the committee to do more to combat antisemitism in the public schools had “escalated to incidents of clearly unprofessional and unacceptable conduct.”

In Northampton last spring, some 85 parents, clergy and concerned community members wrote a letter to Superintendent Portia Bonner and the School Committee alerting officials to a number of antisemitic incidents their Jewish children were experiencing at Northampton High School. The complaints were far-ranging, from using “Zionist” and “Jew” interchangeably to telling Jewish and Israeli students with friends and family of Israeli hostages that their loved ones deserved to die.

The letter signers encouraged school officials to look into providing antisemitic awareness training to address parent concerns and give staff a baseline understanding of antisemitism in contemporary life.

In Belchertown in 2023, antisemitic incidents were reported at Jabish Middle School when students using Holocaust imagery, including gas chambers and the Nazi salute, tried to intimidate Jewish students. That led the town to implement the Anti-Defamation League’s No Place for Hate program, to teach students how their words and actions can harm marginalized groups. The school received its No Place for Hate designation on May 3 after the entire building completed four lessons based on the impact of prejudiced language, microaggressions and identity-based bullying.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.