Elementary School Principal Calls Swastika Found on Campus a 'Symbol of Peace, Prosperity,' Encourages 'Inclusivity'

A Washington elementary school principal's "ill-informed" response to an incident of antisemitic vandalism has upset parents and launched an investigation.

The Phantom Lake Elementary school principal is on administrative leave after sending an email Monday defending the swastika symbol's "positive and spiritual meaning," according to KOMO. The message was a follow-up to an earlier alert informing families that a swastika had been drawn on an exterior wall of the school.

In the school's initial text alert, the principal referred to the swastika as a "symbol of hate," assuring parents it was immediately removed and recommending that parents talk with their students about respect and standing up against hate, KOMO reported.

The same day, the principal sent another message to the community with the subject line, "Follow-up on recent incident and cultural awareness." The email was an apology for her previous message, where she failed to acknowledge that some cultures ascribe different meaning to the swastika symbol, thanking the community members who brought her oversight to her attention.

Parents shared the message with KOMO, which read, "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."

The message continued, "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 backlash was immediate, as parents emailed and planned to meet with the principal after school. But Bellevue School District intervened first, placing her on administrative leave and releasing a statement from Superintendent Dr. Kelly Aramaki.

She clarified, "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."

The statement continued, "We share in the burden and pain that our Jewish families feel regarding the rise in antisemitism locally and across our country." Aramaki also noted the district rise in antisemitic incidents and promised action to address it.

Aramaki's statement went on to validate that, "Vandalism on a playground using a swastika is antisemitic," condemning the action and confirming that an investigation was underway.

Tirzah Dondanville, whose daughters are enrolled at the school, told KOMO, "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."

Irina Menn, whose children attend other schools in the Bellevue district, called for the principal's resignation. "I don't know how we can trust an educator who can't recognize a call for violence from a call for peace to be educating our children," Menn told KOMO.

The Bellevue School District has a board meeting scheduled Thursday, where the events are expected to be discussed by Aramaki.