The chief of Boulder Valley School unveiled new policies for the 2026-2027 school year following a lawsuit filed on behalf of a student alleging antisemitic harassment.

In June, the Anti-Defamation League filed a federal civil rights complaint against the school district with the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Division, alleging an eighth grader in the district was subjected to “persistent, escalating and severe antisemitic harassment and assault.”

The lawsuit claimed the student was subjected to bullying, slurs and physical assault by multiple students at Southern Hills Middle School, and the district failed to act, despite being notified of the harassment multiple times.

The lawsuit listed multiple incidents that allegedly occurred between April of 2025 and 2026, including one in which a student fashioned a noose out of a laptop charging cord, put it around the student’s neck, dragged him backward from a chair and called him an antisemitic slur. The Boulder Police Department was called to investigate the incident.

In another incident last spring, a classmate allegedly told the student that Hitler “should have killed the Jews when he had a chance.”

On Aug. 11, the night before the first day of the 2026-2027 school year, district superintendent Rob Anderson addressed board members and families, apologizing for how the district handled the situation over the past two years.

“We strive every day to ensure that all students feel a sense of welcome and belonging,” he said. “That did not happen for this student or their family. While our schools have taken action and responded to the incidents when they occurred, it’s clear that those actions, individually and collectively, were not enough. Clearly, there was a lack of district-level systems and structures needed to better respond and support all students.”

Anderson said the district has entered into mediation with the Anti-Defamation League and the Office of Civil Rights and will implement several new policies this school year to ensure acts of discrimination against students and educators are handled properly.

The district has updated its nondiscrimination and anti-bullying policies to include antisemitism and is forming a Title VI response team, as well as improving communications and access to resources on its website for those affected by discrimination. Anderson said the district will also be increasing teacher education on antisemitism.

“When BVSD fails to respond effectively to issues of hate appropriately and consistently, it creates fear within our community that all students are not safe,” Anderson said. “I apologize to our community for failing to ensure the appropriate systems and procedures were in place to better protect students.”