Private School in Northern Virginia Being Sued by Jewish Family Releases Quite the Statement

Earlier this week, as we covered at the time, the parents of three minor Jewish children sued The Nysmith School for the Gifted, Inc., a private school in Herndon, Virginia. The parents, Brian Vazquez and Ashok Roy, alleged that the school conducted lessons in which Adolf Hitler was considered “a strong historical leader,” that their 11-year-old daughter was bullied for being Jewish, a Holocaust speaker was cancelled, and that all three of their children were expelled. The school has since responded.

The statement put out by headmaster Ken Nysmith, who is also named in the complaint, is lengthy and at times takes a whole bunch of time and space to not say much at all. 

“While we are not aware of any legal action at this time, I want to unequivocally assure you that the facts being shared publicly are not accurate,” Nysmith wrote early on in his statement. “We are deeply committed to fostering an environment rooted in kindness, respect, and compassion. We are proud to have a diverse community–families from around the world representing a wide range of backgrounds and beliefs. We celebrate that diversity and are proud of the inclusive and supportive culture we’ve cultivated over decades,” he continued.

Nysmith used that promotion of “diversity” to appear to make excuses, though. As his statement went on to read [emphasis added]:

With that diversity, however, comes complexity. Global events, including the ongoing conflict in Gaza, can and do impact our students and families in deeply personal and emotional ways. We have families with connections on both sides of the conflict. As a school, we do not tolerate violence, hate, or harassment of any kind. Children are still learning how to communicate and navigate complex emotions. While unkind comments may sometimes occur, our approach is to treat them as teachable moments–opportunities to help students develop empathy, compassion, and the ability to disagree respectfully. 

Such is an interesting way to respond to how the 11-year-old daughter in question was alleged to be repeatedly harassed and with her Jewish identity playing a role. 

The response to the lesson involving Hitler is also questionable [emphasis added]:

Regarding the circulating image of a student project that has caused distress, the context has unfortunately been misrepresented. The project was part of an academic assignment based on Machiavelli’s The Prince, in which students were asked to identify and analyze traits of historical figures-both positive and negative. Students were each assigned a different “limb” of a composite Machiavellian figure, and selected individuals they felt embodied specific traits. Across the class, students referenced a range of historical figures including President Obama, Julius Caesar, and, unfortunately, Hitler. Students were not directed to choose from any particular individuals. The purpose of the exercise was not to glorify any historical figure, but to foster critical thinking and discussion around traits described in The Prince. The inclusion of controversial figures was intended to provoke analysis, not admiration. One of the students who participated in the project and used an image of Hitler lives with his grandmother, who is a Holocaust survivor.

We are saddened that the intent behind this academic assignment has been misunderstood. We also understand how, taken out of context, the resulting image could be upsetting.

It’s likely not worth trying to claim a lesson involving Hitler “has been misunderstood,” but rather best to just not involve Hitler at all.

The remaining part of statement was purposefully vague, given that the school can’t speak publicly about individual families. It is still curious ho Nysmith frames it and who he puts it all on [emphasis original]:

While we cannot speak publicly about the details of any individual family’s experience-out of respect for privacy and legal considerations-we can share that our guiding principle is always to work collaboratively with families in the best interest of all children. When a family is unwilling to engage in that partnership, despite our repeated efforts, it may no longer be possible to maintain a healthy and productive environment for their children or others. In such rare and difficult circumstances, a decision to part ways is made only after extensive deliberation and, in this case, with the guidance and approval of our corporate attorney, who is familiar with all the facts.

We remain steadfast in our mission to nurture thoughtful, compassionate, and critically minded learners. We will continue to support our students and our community during these complex times with integrity, transparency, and care.

StopAntisemitism was not too thrilled with such a statement, as they shared a screenshot to their X account and highlighting how Nysmith was “claiming things have been misconstrued and putting the blame on the Jewish family.”

“We have no words,” the post added. 

Virginia legal complaint update – head of school Ken Nysmith (Nysmith School for the Gifted) has issued a statement, claiming things have been misconstrued and putting the blame on the Jewish family.

We have no words. pic.twitter.com/zgNVvh4eDq

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) July 3, 2025

The statement appears on the school’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on Thursday morning, though it does not appear that comments are allowed for such posts. 

The parents filing the lawsuit are asking for various damages, from tuition payments to costs related to the family’s mental-health care and educational and development services related to the expulsion, as well as requiring the school to “enforce their nondiscrimination policies, and to implement an immediate plan for the elimination of a hostile environment at Nysmith School,” plus “mandating that Respondents provide expert training on combating anti-Semitism and broadly promote annual training for the Nysmith School community focused on recognizing and combating anti-Semitism.”

The lawsuit was filed with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office of Civil Rights. Jason Miyares, the Republican attorney general for the commonwealth, posted about the lawsuit from his X account this week, noting that the allegations are “disturbing” and his office “is actively looking into it.

Miyares also discussed the lawsuit with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Tuesday night. “An 11-year-old child allegedly called a ‘baby killer who deserves to die’ If true, this violates Virginia Human Rights Act,” he pointed out, which the lawsuit alleges the school is indeed in violation of.

These are disturbing allegations.

My office is actively looking into it. https://t.co/vCSdeakAZ4

— Jason Miyares (@JasonMiyaresVA) July 1, 2025

Miyares: Harassment of Jewish kids must stop.

“The harassment we’ve seen against Jewish students on college campuses is now trickling down to K-12. An 11-year-old child allegedly called a ‘baby killer who deserves to die.’ If true, this violates Virginia Human Rights Act.”… pic.twitter.com/Fr2eIQHNhe

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) July 2, 2025