Cranbrook headmaster Nicholas Sampson confirmed in a statementthat the school had been working with the families of three students who were targets of anti-Semitic behaviour and slurs in the senior school.
“The school has made it clear to students that it’s not only their conduct that is unacceptable,it is their total lack of perception of the abhorrence of their slurs,” Sampson said. “We have made it clear that there is no tolerance for it and repercussions will be material.”
Sampson said the school had increased its formal and informal education on the matter and strengthened alliances with external organisations such as the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies.
In a letter sent to Cranbrook families on Thursday,Sampson said the school was holding assemblies and other sessions because of “a noticeable shift in anti-social and discriminatory behaviour”. He said this included “slurs” that are “abhorrent” but did not provide detail.
The story on Sunday included a parent saying his son was targeted by a large group of bullies who regularly referred to Jewish students as “Jew” rather than by name and performed Nazi salutes in their presence. Some of the victims are descendants of Holocaust survivors.
Several families whose sons attend Cranbrook have come forward to share further details. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared repercussions from both the bullies and school leadership,but say they want the school named because they believe the only way to get major cultural change is to openly acknowledge the issue.