Boulder Valley School District agrees to make systemic changes to address antisemitism after Jewish student faced severe and persistent antisemitic harassment and assault
New York, NY, September 9, 2026 – The Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) has entered into a settlement agreement to implement comprehensive, districtwide measures to prevent and address antisemitic harassment, bullying and discrimination, resolving a federal civil rights complaint filed by ADL (the Anti-Defamation League).
Under the terms of the settlement announced today, 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. These initiatives include updating districtwide policies, designating an executive-level staff member to serve as the district’s Title VI Executive Director, strengthening reporting and oversight procedures, providing antisemitism training to all administrators, faculty and staff, delivering age-appropriate educational programming on antisemitism to all students and increasing public transparency by publishing annual reports on the district’s response to allegations and reports of discrimination and harassment, including antisemitism.
The settlement agreement, secured through a mediation process with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) 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 antisemitic bullying, slurs and physical assault, despite the district being continually notified.
“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 antisemitic 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 antisemitic harassment, strengthening reporting and oversight and holding BVSD accountable for its commitments, this agreement lays the groundwork for safer, more inclusive schools.”
“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 antisemitism.”
Under the settlement, BVSD has agreed to the following measures to address antisemitism:
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 antisemitism.
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 antisemitism, defines antisemitism, district policies, reporting procedures and contact information for designated district officials.
Utilize the definition of antisemitism 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 antisemitic incident reports and district outcomes.
Create a Superintendent Advisory Group focused on addressing antisemitism, with invitations to representatives of Jewish community organizations and from the Superintendent’s office to foster open dialogue.
Implement antisemitism training for all school administrators, faculty and staff.
Provide age-appropriate programming to all students on discrimination and harassment, including antisemitism, educating them on what antisemitism 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.
ADL thanks the District for its commitment to implementing meaningful change and for working towards the shared goal of protecting Jewish students who attend BVSD schools. ADL welcomes the opportunity to support its implementation, and remains committed to helping foster a culture in which Jewish students are treated with dignity, inclusivity and respect.
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.
Today’s announcement 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. Since Oct. 7, ADL has filed civil rights and legal complaints against public school districts to address antisemitic environments for Jewish students, including a successfully resolved matter against the Santa Ana Unified School District. ADL has brought Title VI complaints against the 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 U.S. Department of Justice and the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District.
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913 to protect the Jewish people, ADL works to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all. In the face of rising antisemitism and extremism, we protect, advocate, and educate, through a mix of programs and services using the latest innovations and technology, and seek to create a world without hate.