by Kevin Cody
Seven Hermosa Valley Middle School students were disciplined after what Valley Principal Jessica Bledsoe described in a February 20 letter to school parents as “inappropriate and disrespectful behavior both at the museum, and on the bus.”
The incident during a field trip to the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance attracted little attention until an April 8 post on the social media platform NextDoor. The post alleged “disgraceful actions of 8th graders at the Museum of Tolerance.” It alleged the students had insulted a Holocaust survivor, and that the museum had banned future Hermosa Valley School field trips.
The post elicited hundreds of comments, spurring allegations of anti-semitism throughout the community.
One Hermosa resident said he heard of the NextDoor post from a restaurant owner who overheard his customers talking about it.
The post’s removal from NextDoor spurred further comments, questioning the motives for its removal.
Hermosa Schools Superintendent Susan Wildes said this week she did not know how or why the NextDoor post about the field trip was removed. But she said of the post’s allegations, “We have no evidence that acts of anti-semitism occurred, but rather [there was] disrespectful behavior by a small group of students.”
She said the disrespect was not directed at a Holocaust survivor, and that the school was not banned from future field trips to the museum.
There were “disciplinary consequences,” but “confidentiality laws prevent us from disclosing [them],” she said.
“We heard nothing but positive responses from our parents and the school community about how the administration handled this situation and communicated. It’s unfortunate that someone(s) chose to post inaccurate information,” she said.
Part of the District’s response was to ask Hermosa Beach Police Chief Paul LeBaron to talk to the students who had misbehaved. LeBaron has been on the staff of the Museum for over 20 years.
He said he talked to the students about “the power of words, individual choice, and personal responsibility.”
“I talked to them not so much about what they did wrong, but about the missed opportunity to do good by bringing back to the community what they learned,” he said.
“I wanted them to understand the power of their words, for good or bad.”
He said he asked them to share what they would do if a tragedy like the Holocaust happened today.
“Their responses were good. They recognized, as individuals, they can make a positive difference,” he said. ER
