As first reported by MyMCM, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law has filed a federal civil rights complaint against Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), alleging that the school system failed to adequately respond to antisemitic threats and harassment targeting a Jewish student at Montgomery Blair High School.
The complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, alleges that the student experienced repeated harassment, intimidation and threats, including an anonymous phone call threatening to bomb him, followed immediately by fireworks being set off outside his home.
According to the Brandeis Center, the student, who graduated from Blair in 2026, was also accused of supporting genocide for wearing an Israel baseball shirt, targeted by classmates who allegedly encouraged others to avoid him because he was a Zionist, and told to “go back to 1935.”
The complaint states that the student previously attended Northwood High School, where he allegedly experienced additional antisemitic harassment, including classmates throwing coins at him, making Nazi salutes and directing hateful messages toward him online. He subsequently transferred to Montgomery Blair High School.
The organization alleges that MCPS received multiple reports about the incidents from the student’s family and school staff but failed to take sufficient action to address the harassment. According to the complaint, the student reduced his attendance and left school early during the final weeks of his senior year because he feared confrontation or physical harm.
As reported by MyMCM, the school took some protective measures, including security arrangements and graduation security planning. However, the Brandeis Center argues that those measures did not adequately address the ongoing harassment or restore the student’s ability to fully participate in school activities.
The Brandeis Center is asking federal officials to investigate MCPS and require changes to its handling of antisemitic harassment complaints. Requested measures include revised reporting procedures, mandatory staff training, student education and independent monitoring for at least five years.
The organization also wants MCPS to incorporate the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism into its policies and training while preserving First Amendment protections.
The complaint comes as the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a separate case involving allegations of racial discrimination in MCPS magnet school admissions. The two cases concern different allegations and legal issues.
