Parents Demand Clear Consequences After Swastika Found at Grover Cleveland Middle School
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Summary
Community members told the Caldwell-West School District Board of Education that repeated swastika graffiti at Grover Cleveland Middle School amounts to hate crimes and criticized prior responses as insufficient; the interim superintendent said the incident was reported to law enforcement and counseling and curriculum supports were provided.
At its Dec. 15 meeting, the Caldwell-West School District Board of Education heard sustained public comment after administrators reported a swastika had been drawn on a student restroom wall at Grover Cleveland Middle School on Dec. 12.
“Not sure how much they let you know of the history in the last few years, but what you said and what has been done at this point is meaningless platitudes,” said Madeline Brown, a parent who said similar symbols have been found multiple times in recent years. “If you care about my students, the Jewish students of this community … you are not doing enough.”
Parent Jonathan Goodgold told the board he considered the repeated images “a hate crime” and urged clearer consequences and greater transparency. “We need to see consequences,” he said. “The kids need to know what the consequences are and the parents need to know what the consequences are.”
Interim Superintendent Dr. Lydia Furnari said administrators followed the district’s memorandum of agreement with law enforcement and reported the incident to local police and the Essex County prosecutor. “The matter was reported as a hate crime,” she said, and the district removed the image, initiated an investigation, offered counseling to affected students and staff, and planned lessons on tolerance that draw on outside resources such as the Holocaust Center for Humanity’s Pyramid of Hate.
Furnari and other administrators told the board the district’s policy on bias crimes (Policy 8465, referenced at the meeting) requires reporting and that teachers and curriculum already incorporate Holocaust and genocide topics aligned with New Jersey student learning standards. Furnari said the most recent parent letter about the incident had been reviewed and revised by school administrators before distribution.
Speakers from the public said the district’s repeated reliance on a single lesson and a similar parent letter has not worked. “You keep doing the same thing over and over again,” Brown said, urging deeper, sustained interventions and clearer disciplinary signals so students and families understand real consequences.
Board members and administrators acknowledged the community’s frustration and reiterated that criminal-reporting procedures must be followed while also pledging to continue curriculum and support work. The board did not announce any change to disciplinary policy or specific new penalties during the meeting.
Next steps: the district will continue its investigation with law enforcement and provide support resources; community members urged the board to return with clearer, public-facing statements about disciplinary consequences and follow-up measures.
