Elementary school principal says swastika is ‘symbol of peace’ in some religions — and backlash is swift

The backlash was swift after an elementary school principal in Washington state said the swastika is a “symbol of peace” in some religions — and now the principal is on administrative leave.

A swastika was found Monday on a wall at Phantom Lake Elementary School in Bellevue, KOMO-TV reported. After the discovery, the school district said Principal Heather Snookal sent two messages, KIRO-TV reported.

‘To me, it is the most warped version of inclusion we could come up with to ask Jewish families in this day and age to be tolerant of the swastika.’

In her first message — a school text alert — the principal wrote that such “symbols of hate” have surfaced in their school and that the swastika was removed immediately, KOMO said, adding that the principal also encouraged families to communicate with their children the importance of respecting others and standing up against hate.

Hours later, parents shared with KOMO an email from the principal with the subject line: “Follow-up on recent incident and cultural awareness.” The station said the principal in the email apologized for not acknowledging in her initial text alert that while a swastika is often associated with hate and intolerance, it’s important to acknowledge the swastika also has deep historical and cultural significance in other parts of the world. She also thanked members of the community for bringing it to her attention, the station added.

KOMO noted that the principal wrote, in part:

In Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and other ancient cultures, the swastika is a symbol of peace, prosperity, and good fortune. We recognize that for many of our families, this symbol has a positive and spiritual meaning, completely unrelated to the hateful associations it took on in more recent history.

As a school committed to inclusivity and cultural understanding, we want to ensure that our students from all backgrounds feel welcomed, valued, and celebrated. We also want to make sure our community is educated about the diverse meanings and histories behind symbols like the swastika so that we can all avoid misunderstandings that could inadvertently marginalize or hurt our students.

The station said several parents called the second message “unacceptable,” that they told her so in an email, and that some planned to meet with her Monday after school. But KOMO said it learned before the end of the school day that the Bellevue School District put the principal on administrative leave and launched an investigation.

The station noted the following statement from the district:

There is absolutely no place for hate in the Bellevue School District. In a time where words and symbols are used to divide us, we are working with administrators, staff, and students to call our community in for courageous conversations to affirm each other’s cultures, beliefs, and identities.

We share in the burden and pain that our Jewish families feel regarding the rise in antisemitism locally and across our country. Bellevue, like other districts, has seen a rise in antisemitic incidents, particularly this past year, and we are taking action to address it. Vandalism on a playground using a swastika is antisemitic and goes against our district’s commitment to building what Dr. King championed as ‘The Beloved Community’ — a place where people truly care for one another, and there is no hunger, poverty, or hate.

Superintendent Aramaki recently sent out a blog post sharing his commitment to addressing antisemitism in our district. This incident will be investigated and addressed according to our policies and procedures. We acknowledge the pain that every incident like this has on our whole community, but especially on our Jewish community.

Tirzah Dondanville, a parent with two daughters at the school, told KOMO that “there is no reason why a symbol of hatred should be on our school grounds or given any equivocation. To me, it is the most warped version of inclusion we could come up with to ask Jewish families in this day and age to be tolerant of the swastika.”

But another parent told KIRO that the principal “is not erasing what happened to the Jewish community whatsoever. Because you know we all know about it. We all know what happened. But like she said, many symbols do mean different things for different cultures, so we cannot disassociate what one person did and forget what this symbol means to everyone else.”

You can view a video report here about the controversy.

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