A Silicon Valley high school unknowingly published copies of a yearbook which included an anti-Semitic slur against a Jewish classmate from Israel.
The Contra Costa Times reports that a student at Monta Vista High School had intentionally changed the last three letters of the student’s name to “jew” while labeling a team photo, which went unnoticed by the yearbook adviser until the last week of classes, due to its subtle placement in the picture.
Parents of the targeted student have demanded the school recall the books, but school administrators are saying recalling the yearbooks (which cost $90 a piece) would be “next to impossible,” as the students are unlikely to return books that have been filled with personalized messages from their friends, the Times notes.
While it is not clear whether the Monta Vista student actually dislikes Jews or simply made a joke that went too far, he will reportedly face “consequences;” the details of which have not been released, according to school administrators due to privacy laws.
Prosecutors have called the incident at the Silicon Valley school “extremely disturbing” but will most likely not file a hate crime charge against the student because there was not a formal threat made against the student, vandalization of property or violent act committed, writes the Times. Neither his name nor the targeted student’s names are being released, since they are minors.
The District Attorney’s office recently charged four young San Jose State students for the racially-tinged harassment and hazing of a black freshman, which allegedly involved explicit racial slurs.
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