Highlights
- ADL filed a Title VI federal civil rights complaint against Paradise Valley Unified School District on Oct. 26, 2026.
- A 14-year-old at Desert Shadows Middle School was allegedly called slurs, threatened with concentration camp references, and physically assaulted on the last day of school.
- School officials allegedly told a parent a slur was 'not his problem' and refused to call parents because staff were 'too busy,' according to the complaint.
- The student has since left Desert Shadows; ADL is requesting a Department of Education investigation and zero-tolerance policy enforcement.
The Anti-Defamation League filed a federal Title VI civil rights complaint against Paradise Valley Unified School District on Oct. 26, 2026, alleging the district failed to act after a 14-year-old Jewish student at Desert Shadows Middle School was subjected to repeated antisemitic harassment and a physical assault between April 20 and May 21, 2026.
According to the complaint, at least five students targeted the girl over that period. She was called an "ugly Jew," threatened with references to concentration camps, and subjected to Heil Hitler salutes accompanied by shouts of "Jew, Jew, Jew." On the last day of school, a student allegedly shoved her across a desk into a cabinet.
School officials' response, as the ADL describes it, compounded the harm. A teacher told the family a slur directed at the student was "not his problem." Administrators declined to contact parents of the alleged harassers because staff were "too busy." The district subsequently moved the victim into a class with one of her harassers and confined her to the principal's office, where she accumulated more than 45 missing assignments, according to the complaint.
The student has since left Desert Shadows. The ADL alleges other Jewish students at the school have also faced harassment.
Paradise Valley Unified said each incident was investigated and addressed as reported, according to ABC15, which first reported the complaint alongside AZ Central.
The ADL is requesting that the U.S. Department of Education open a formal investigation and require the district to adopt and enforce a zero-tolerance policy for antisemitic conduct.
The full redacted complaint is posted on the ADL's website. A Department of Education response timeline has not been disclosed.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- adl.org retrieved 30/10/2026 05:11
- ABC15 Arizona retrieved 30/10/2026 05:11
- Reddit retrieved 30/10/2026 05:11
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 30/10/2026 05:11. Every claim traces to a source.
