The Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) has entered into a settlement agreement to implement comprehensive, districtwide measures to prevent and address anti-Semitic harassment, bullying and discrimination, resolving a federal civil rights complaint filed by ADL.
BVSD will undertake a series of initiatives to strengthen its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when responding to allegations of harassment based on national origin or shared ancestry.
A Boulder studet at Southern Hills Middle School was told that Jews are “dirty” and “contaminated.” A PE class attempted to play a game called “Jew touch tag.”
A classmate allegedly fashioned a Chromebook charging cord into a lasso, threw it around the student’s neck and dragged him backward from a chair while calling him a “stupid Kike.” The Boulder Dept. was called to investigate.
“No child should have to choose between their identity and their personal safety,” said Susan Rona, ADL Mountain States regional director.
“The measures BVSD has agreed to will make its schools safer for every student, including Jewish students.
“This agreement creates an important foundation for rebuilding trust and ADL looks forward to working with BVSD by serving on the Superintendent Advisory Group and consulting with the district on trainings for the new Title VI executive director and student programming focused on anti-Semitism.”
The settlement agreement, secured through a mediation process with the US Dept. of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and its mediators, resolves allegations raised by ADL in a complaint filed in June, 2026.
The complaint alleged that BVSD failed to protect a Jewish middle school student from repeated anti-Semitic bullying, slurs and physical assault, despite the district being continually notified.
This is the first settlement of a complaint that was submitted through ADL’s legal action network, which launched in late 2025 and currently consists of over 55 law firms across the country.
“Jewish students and all students are safer and better protected at Boulder Valley School District because of the bravery of one family that stepped forward to say ‘enough.’
“The pain of the last several years of targeted anti-Semitic harassment will now give way to meaningful, districtwide changes designed to help ensure that no other Jewish student feels unsafe or unwelcome because of their ethnic or religious identity,” said James Pasch, ADL vice president of litigation.
“By establishing a strong framework for preventing anti-Semitic harassment, strengthening reporting and oversight and holding BVSD accountable for its commitments, this agreement lays the groundwork for safer, more inclusive schools.”
JUnder the settlement, BVSD has agreed to the following measures to address anti-Semitism:
• Update Board of Education policies, subject to Board approval, to clarify that protections against discrimination and harassment include conduct based on national origin and shared ancestry.
• Designate an executive-level staff member to serve as the district’s Title VI executive director to work with the compliance officer to oversee the district’s response to allegations of discrimination and harassment, including anti-Semitism.
• Revise the district’s online incident-reporting form by providing clear information about the reporting process and ensure reports are sent directly to the Title VI executive director and compliance officer.
• Create and maintain for the next three years a public, comprehensive webpage that centralizes resources on anti-Semitism, defines anti-Semitism, district policies, reporting procedures and contact information for designated district officials.
• Utilize the definition of anti-Semitism located on the new webpage when evaluating, investigating or reviewing reports or complaints of harassment, bullying and/or discrimination based upon Jewish shared ancestry or ethnicity, religion and/or national origin.
• Publish annual community reports for three years concerning the district’s response to allegations of discrimination and harassment, including aggregate data about anti-Semitic incident reports and district outcomes.
• Create a superintendent advisory group focused on addressing anti-Semitism, with invitations to representatives of Jewish community organizations and from the Superintendent’s office to foster open dialogue.
• Implement anti-Semitism training for all school administrators, faculty and staff.
• Provide age-appropriate programming to all students on discrimination and harassment, including anti-Semitism, educating them on what anti-Semitism is, how to combat it and ways to report it at their schools.
• Make resources and training materials from ADL’s No Place for Hate program available to every school in the district.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin, including discrimination against Jewish students on the basis of their actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, by educational institutions that receive federal funding.
Since Oct. 7, the ADL has filed civil rights and legal complaints against public school districts to address anti-Semitic environments for Jewish students, including a successfully resolved matter against the Santa Ana Unified School District.
ADL has brought Title VI complaints against:
• Bay County, Florida Public School District;
• Baltimore City Public Schools,
• Berkeley Unified School District; and
• Etiwanda School District.
Several filed complaints have resulted in successful resolution agreements, including one with the US Dept. of Justice and the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District.
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