STAMFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION STATEMENT REGARDING RECENT ANTISEMITIC AND WHITE SUPREMACIST INCIDENTS

 

STAMFORD, CT (August 14, 2024) — Stamford Board of Education President Jackie Heftman released the following statement today on behalf of the full Board: 

The Stamford Board of Education cannot emphasize enough how disgusted we are by the incidents of antisemitic and white supremacist vandalism committed at AITE and by the antisemitic remarks made by elected Democrats Anabel Figueroa and Eva Padilla. 

Our children look to the adults in their community to help them understand the world and their place in it. When adults place authentic value on diversity, truly celebrate our differences, and respect that each one of us is unique in our own way, our children learn to do the same. And in turn, they see themselves as being valued, accepted for who they are, and safe. 

As adults, it is our responsibility to model the behavior we want to see in our children. Suffice it to say, neither the cowardly vandals who acted under cover of darkness nor the two elected officials who hoped to influence the outcome of an election by appealing to hate, are the role models we want for our children.

It is incumbent upon those who care about our city and the wellbeing of its children to stand up and call out hateful acts every time we see or hear them. To do otherwise makes us complicit in the act and an active participant in perpetuating the hate. 

The Stamford Board of Education, which is entrusted with the education, wellbeing, and safety of all of our city’s children, forcefully condemns these recent acts of antisemitism and stands against hate, bigotry, racism and prejudice in all forms.