Parents, ADL and rabbis press Colonial School District over racial and antisemitic incidents; superintendent promises discipline and training

Superintendent Dr. Christian and multiple community members addressed a surge of racist and antisemitic incidents affecting students in the Colonial School District during the board meeting on June 9.

Dr. Christian said derogatory language and symbols "have no place in our schools and will continue to be met with swift discipline, followed by counseling and restorative practices," and announced additional summer professional development from the Anti-Defamation League for the administrative team ahead of the 2025–26 school year. He said the district has designated schools as "No Place for Hate" and urged families to talk with children about hateful language.

In a written public comment read at the meeting, Dr. Jamena Clay of Plymouth Meeting described an incident in which her 11-year-old son, a bystander on a school bus, heard the n-word shouted at his friend. Clay called the term a "direct racial attack" and said the district—s initial response was insufficient: "Where was the broader accountability? Where was the communication from the school to the community, to the students, to the families of the kids on the bus?" She demanded…