Students suspended for forming human swastika

Four students at SAIL high school were suspended in December after administrators learned they lay down and formed a human swastika in a field on the school's campus.

Leon County Schools officials confirmed the incident Tuesday, after a concerned SAIL parent, who is Jewish, met with principal Tiffany Thomas to discuss actions taken by the school.

The parent, who asked to have their identity withheld to protect his child, said they only learned about the incident from their child last Friday, during a conversation about the recent uptick in incidences of anti-Semitism in schools and community centers around the country. The parent said his child said there have been other incidents of students making other anti-Semitic remarks, then told him of the suspensions.

Following his meeting with Thomas, the parent said he was reassured by the response from SAIL, who he said took every measure to discipline those responsible. He added he was surprised such a thing would happen at the magnet school, which prides itself on providing a creative and personalized high school experience. The parent said he has always known SAIL to be a tolerant and inclusive environment.

Thomas addressed the incident in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat Tuesday.

"As a school community, we really pride ourselves on continuing with our safe, caring and respectful school climate," she said. "One of our main school goals is cultural diversity, and we have formed committees and clubs around these themes to promote cultural awareness all year long."

Thomas added the school has a Holocaust Remembrance Day scheduled for March, which is made possible through a partnership with the Holocaust Education Resource Council.

Across the country, anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise. There were 31 bomb threats Monday, called into 23 community centers and eight Jewish day schools, the JCC Association of North America said. Mark Potok, senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, said the events marked the fifth series of attacks already this year.