Massachusetts teacher resigns after antisemitic harassment from a student
The teacher says he’s not upset by ‘ignorant comments’ from a child, but worries that without intervention, the hate will ‘fester’
A teacher resigned from a school in Dalton, in Massachusetts’ Berkshire region. Illustration by iStock
By Adam Kovac June 20, 2023
A Massachusetts teacher has resigned from his job after facing an onslaught of antisemitic harassment from a single student.
According to The Berkshire Eagle, Nessacus Regional Middle School social studies teacher Morrison Robblee faced repeated verbal attacks from the 12-year-old student, which included insults and references to the Holocaust and gas chambers, as well as hateful comments directed at the teacher when he wore a kippah while observing Passover in April.
After the student was sent for detention, he gave Robblee drawings of Adolf Hitler standing over a dead Jewish person with the caption “Sorry, Jew.”
While the student was removed from Robblee’s class, the teacher said the harassment continued in the hallways and via email. He filed a union grievance, alleging an unsafe work environment and also went to the police.
The student has been charged with misdemeanor criminal harassment. Because he is a minor, his identity has not been made public.
Robblee was placed on administrative leave in May due to allegations of misconduct. Robblee has admitted to making faces at the student in the hallway due to frustration but has denied charges he spoke about the student in front of other children. He resigned after being placed on leave, saying that while he could have returned to the school, he felt his concerns about the student’s radicalization were not heard.
“I am not bothered by the ignorant comments of a child,” the Eagle quoted Robblee as noting in a statement to be read aloud at the student’s reentry meeting following suspension. “I am bothered that, without proper intervention, this hate will continue to fester.”
The Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism in May ranked Massachusetts second in the country when it comes to white supremacy – trailing only Texas — and No. 6 when it comes to antisemitism, a 41% jump from 2021 to 2022.
A spokesperson for the Berkshire district attorney’s office said they are consulting with both the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Federation of the Berkshires on how such incidents can be avoided in the future.
The school already utilizes ADL’s anti-bias curriculum for middle schools and has an ADL peer training program for kids in place. On Tuesday, an ADL representative met with the district officials to discuss additional initiatives, including training for staff and curricula for lower schools.
The Forward was not able to contact Robblee for comment. A school employee reached by phone referred the Forward to the superintendent’s office, but the superintendent was not available for comment. The school district’s superintendent told The Berkshire Eagle that she could not comment on specific incidents but said a process was in place to dealing with allegations of hateful conduct.
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