nick
November 27th, 2009, 04:13 AM
Pupils at a school in Florida have been suspended after taking part in a "Kick a Jew Day".
Ten students at North Naples Middle School were sent home for a day after a girl told the head teacher that she believed she had been kicked for being Jewish, prompting further instances to come to light.
Florida passed strict anti-bullying laws last year and schools that do not do enough to stop it risk losing their state funding.
Margaret Jackson, the school's head teacher, has responded to the kicking incident by setting aside the first 20 minutes of each day to teaching students – aged 12 to 15 – about kindness, respect and ways of preventing bullying.
David Barkey of the Florida Anti-Defamation League said the organisation had been consulted over the incident.
"You are talking about an incident that has anti-Jewish bias if not anti-semitism. You have Jewish students being singled out, harassed and assaulted," he said.
Last year, four pupils were suspended from a middle school in St Louis over a "Hit a Jew Day" in which one Jewish student was slapped in the face.
The "day" had been the culmination of a "Spirit Week" organised by pupils which included "Hug a Friend Day" and "Hit a Tall Person Day".
Some believe the idea for such behaviour originally came from the satirical cartoon show South Park which featured a "Kick a Ginger Day" in an episode.
Source here (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6664060/Pupils-suspended-for-Kick-a-Jew-Day.html)
Ten students at North Naples Middle School were sent home for a day after a girl told the head teacher that she believed she had been kicked for being Jewish, prompting further instances to come to light.
Florida passed strict anti-bullying laws last year and schools that do not do enough to stop it risk losing their state funding.
Margaret Jackson, the school's head teacher, has responded to the kicking incident by setting aside the first 20 minutes of each day to teaching students – aged 12 to 15 – about kindness, respect and ways of preventing bullying.
David Barkey of the Florida Anti-Defamation League said the organisation had been consulted over the incident.
"You are talking about an incident that has anti-Jewish bias if not anti-semitism. You have Jewish students being singled out, harassed and assaulted," he said.
Last year, four pupils were suspended from a middle school in St Louis over a "Hit a Jew Day" in which one Jewish student was slapped in the face.
The "day" had been the culmination of a "Spirit Week" organised by pupils which included "Hug a Friend Day" and "Hit a Tall Person Day".
Some believe the idea for such behaviour originally came from the satirical cartoon show South Park which featured a "Kick a Ginger Day" in an episode.
Source here (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6664060/Pupils-suspended-for-Kick-a-Jew-Day.html)