Editor's note: This article was originally published on StandWithUs.com and is republished here with permission.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has opened for investigation a federal Title VI complaint filed by StandWithUs Saidoff Legal against the Lake Washington School District (LWSD), which the complaint alleges has ignored and enabled rampant antisemitism. LWSD is located in King County, Washington, east of Seattle.
The complaint outlines multiple incidents of hostility experienced by the district’s Jewish students — including threats, slurs, and biased classroom content. Despite multiple reports from students and parents, LWSD has failed to address the systemic issue, allowing the hostile environment to persist.
StandWithUs requested OCR’s intervention to ensure the district upholds its legal responsibilities to protect Jewish students and create a safe learning environment. The Title VI complaint details numerous documented incidents of anti-Jewish bias and bigotry, including:
- Threats of violence and physical assaults against Jewish students; Antisemitic slurs—such as “dirty Jew” and “kike”—against Jewish students;
- Use of antisemitic classroom lessons and curricula, approved by school leadership;
- Disruptive, antisemitic protests during the school day organized by non-student, off-campus organizations;
- and Blatant disregard by district leadership of Jewish students’ fear and lack of equal educational access.
