Parents urge DESE follow‑up after Nauset OCR settlement and recent student incidents

Andrea Silbert, a parent from Harwich, delivered detailed testimony tracing antisemitic incidents at Nauset Regional High School and within her family’s experience. She said the district had entered into a U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights settlement in 2021 after a freshman endured persistent harassment. Silbert said her own son faced an antisemitic altercation in 2022 involving a teammate and that school responses were inadequate; she reported notifying the principal and the Anti‑Defamation League but ultimately withdrew her son from the team.

Silbert urged the commission to recommend stronger reporting and accountability mechanisms at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and closer coordination with civil‑rights organizations and district officials. She asked commissioners to consider whether DESE or another state entity should be given clearer roles and resources to follow up on OCR settlements and ensure corrective plans are implemented and communicated to families.

Commission staff and the secretary’s office responded that enhanced information‑sharing and accountability are goals of the draft recommendations and that DESE is committed to safe learning environments. Commissioners encouraged families to bring incidents first to districts but acknowledged the need for effective escalation and enforcement when local responses fail.

Silbert also recommended the commission add context to the report’s preface about the prevalence of systemic antisemitism in K–12 settings and urged clearer guidance on when schools should report incidents to law enforcement, OCR and state agencies.