Nevada school district sued after student has swastika carved into his back in antisemitic attack

According to the complaint, the perpetrators of the attack remain at-large

Clark County School District in Nevada sued on behalf of an autistic student who was attacked in an alleged hate crime earlier this year (KSNV)

The family of a Jewish student with autism in Las Vegas is suing the city’s school district after the then-17-year-old returned home with a swastika etched into his back.

The lawsuit was announced on Thursday by The Lawfare Project, a non-profit working to defend the civil and human rights of Jewish people. The attorneys argue that the student, now 18, suffered federal and state civil rights violations.

According to the complaint, the student, who has remained anonymous, is non-verbal and came home with the antisemitic symbol carved into his skin on 9 March while he was a 17-year-old student at Clark High School.

Attorneys for his family claim that he did not receive the special education support he was entitled to under federal and state regulations. Court records state that an aid was supposed to be by his side the entire day, including when the attack occurred.

Most of the student’s day was spent inside a self-contained classroom. He took general education classes for 37 per cent of the day. The complaint states that the Clark County School District (CCSD) denied any knowledge of the incident occurring.

In a statement, a representative for the school district said, “The district does not comment on pending litigation.”

The student is currently receiving at-home instruction “due to the district’s failure to ensure his safety and teach him skills to communicate his needs, self advocate, as well as many others,” the suit states.

The family would like the student to remain on home instruction until an appropriate programme can be identified. According to the complaint, the student has been attending the autism program in the CCSD since preschool but has made minimal, if any, educational progress.

“This horrific act against a defenseless Jewish student is a stark reminder of the deeply rooted issue of antisemitism that persists in our society,” Ziporah Reich, the firm’s director of litigation, said.

“Furthermore, the failure of the Clark County School District to conduct a proper investigation into this incident is evidence of the systemic apathy that exists towards Jews who are targeted by hate-crimes.”

A news release states that the perpetrators of the attack remain at large. The family is also seeking that the school district reimburse them for attorneys fees, expert fees and expenses relating to the student’s at-home education.