Autistic Jewish boy, 17, comes home with swastika carved on his back after being attacked in Las Vegas school
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: A mother of a 17-year-old Jewish boy with special needs was horrified to discover that his fellow schoolmates at Las Vegas's Clark High School had carved a swastika on her son’s back. The victim of a shocking suspected hate crime, which took place on March 9, is nonverbal and has severe autism.
Talking about the incident, the mother, who along with her son is not named, said, "My son is the only student I know of who wears a Kippah at the school," reports DailyMail. She said her son attends regular classes at Clark High School, where he has a full-time shadow to assist him and is also accompanied by a service dog. Recalling the incident, she asked the shadow assistant of what happened. She questioned, "Did he use the bathroom? Did he have any meltdowns yesterday? I would think this would have caused him to have a meltdown or get agitated." The shadow responded by saying that the boy had a good day with no meltdowns.
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No video cameras found in classrooms
However, on March 13, the family filed a report with the Clark County School District Police. The mother said the school does not allow video cameras in classrooms, locker rooms or bathrooms, so there is no evidence or footage of the alleged incident. And she has pulled her son out of the school “because it’s an unsafe environment.”
'School should be no place for hate'
Commenting on it, Shoham Nicolet, IAC’s co-founder, and CEO, said, “The Israeli-American Council was appalled to learn that a Jewish teen may have been targeted in such an inhumane antisemitic attack. We urge authorities to investigate this incident to the fullest.” While Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Nevada, Jolie Brislin, said in a statement, "The ADL condemns this violent, antisemitic act. Not only was this student targeted for his identifiable faith, but he was particularly vulnerable due to his disability. This incident illustrates points of intersectionality in how hate can show itself across marginalized communities." And added, "ADL Nevada, in partnership with Jewish Nevada and SCN, has been in close contact with the parents, CCDS, and law enforcement and will be working with Clark High School to provide antisemitism education. School should be no place for hate and no student should be made to feel unsafe and threatened."
FBI is investigating
The FBI is currently investigating the incident as a suspected hate crime, reports The Jerusalem Post. The agency said in a statement, as per DailyMail, 'We are aware of the incident and are in regular contact with local authorities. If during the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal civil rights violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate."