Homecoming Spirit Week is often seen as a lighthearted novelty for students; however, this year was different for members of our Jewish community here at Steinbrenner.
On September 24th, many students participated in Icon Day by dressing up as celebrities and other influential figures. One student made the decision to wear a beaded swastika wristband.
Photos of this Nazi imagery quickly began to spread throughout social media among members of our community on and off campus after a Jewish parent posted to the Steinbrenner Parents Facebook group featuring an image of the wristband taken by her daughter, and the caption: “This is everyday life for Jewish HS and college students as long as antisemitism is fashionable.”
“Wearing that symbol represents so much more than antisemitism,” said a member of our Jewish community here at Steinbrenner, who has chosen to remain anonymous in concern of their safety. “It represents a leader who killed people just because they didn’t like the way they looked.”
“Nazi Germany cultivated a mass genocide that executed millions of Jews alongside people of color and many other ethnicities and religions that did not fit the profile of the people they wanted in their nation. When you wear a swastika, you are supporting the mass murder of innocent people,” they explained.
Soon after, the admin team of the Facebook group sent out a statement to all members referencing “imagery that could be considered offensive,” and stated that they would not be approving posts regarding the subject “in order to protect student privacy.” They also included a reminder that the group is meant to foster “positive communication” and that all concerns should be brought directly to the school administration.
These posts quickly enraged both students and parents, with many finding the group’s response to be distasteful, and demanding that the school administration punish the student in question.
Some students took it upon themselves to report the person, including senior Audrey Smith.
“I went to the office and waited in student affairs for the deputy. I didn’t actually have to fully speak to him because apparently, she was already reported,” Smith says.
While our administration cannot publicly comment on a specific student’s discipline, Mr. Gerhardt, one of our assistant principals, has confirmed that the administration has been made aware of the situation, and was able to provide some insight into how our school handles incidents of hate speech such as this one.
“We’d find out who it is, we’d contact their parents, and have a conference with [both of them] and decide where we need to go from there,” stated Mr. Gerhardt.
The discipline given in school will vary depending on the specific circumstances, ranging from ISS, OSS, and sometimes even just the parent-student conference serving as their form of discipline.
With the administration’s inability to comment on what action was taken, it is hard to know for sure whether or not the situation was handled properly, which has left many students feeling frustrated and unsatisfied with the school.
“Personally, I don’t think that Steinbrenner did anything, which in my opinion is really unacceptable… I mean she was absent for two days, but people are saying she was just absent, not suspended,” said Smith.
“I’ve heard a lot about how she was not actually suspended or anything, so I feel like in that sense it wasn’t exactly adequate,” said sophomore Lilly Boyle who was also enraged by the incident.
Although the resolution of this specific situation cannot be known for certain, it has been shown through both the administration’s and student’s response to the incident that perpetuating hate speech or symbols are unacceptable within Steinbrenner’s school culture.
If anyone becomes aware of a similar issue, it is important that they report it immediately to a trusted adult, member of our school administration, or through the online platform FortifyFL. Each of these ways ensures that their report is anonymous and protected.
