Lawsuit filed by family of autistic non-verbal Jewish teen who had swastika carved on his back by classmates

On Thursday, a formal complaint was filed against the Clark County School District in Nevada after a Jewish special education student had a swastika carved into their back earlier this year.

Jewish legal advocacy group, the Lawfare Project, accused the district of state and federal civil rights violations on behalf of the 17-year-old, who was a student at Clark High School in Las Vegas when the alleged hate crime was reported in March.

According to the complaint, “…on March 9, 2023, [the student] came home from school with a swastika physically carved into his back and the service dog bag was broken and re-sewn. [He] refused to enter that specific bathroom after that day. The district denied any knowledge of the incident occurring,” the Las Vegas Sun reports. 

Since the alleged incident, the teen has been homeschooled. The FBI is also investigating the incident.

Channel 13 reported that attorneys with Freeman Law Offices and Rogich Law Firm joined the action and alleged that the student "did not receive the special education support he was entitled to under federal and state regulations."

Jolie Brislin, the Anti-Defamation League executive director in Nevada told the outlet when the attack first occurred that the injuries to the autistic and non-verbal student were discovered by his mother when he came home. "All we know is that this student went to school in the morning fine, and came home with a swastika carved into his back.”

In a statement to the ABC affiliate, the district claimed that an April investigation, including interviews with staff and a review of available camera footage, "found no evidence that would indicate the origin of the injuries."

The Lawfare Project said on Thursday that the district failed “…to conduct a proper investigation into this incident."

Hillary Freeman, one of the attorneys representing the student stated, "There is an appalling pattern of discriminatory conduct within the CCSD that cannot be tolerated any longer. It is time for CCSD to step up and ensure that all students are safe and receiving equal access to their education."

Ziporah Reich, director of litigation at the Lawfare Project said in a statement, “This horrific act against a defenseless Jewish student is a stark reminder of the deeply rooted issue of antisemitism that persists in our society,” per the Las Vegas Sun.