Jewish families have filed a lawsuit against Sequoia Union High School District administrators, teachers, and board members, alleging that administrators ignored Jewish students’ complaints of harassment and antisemitism, failed to intervene when teachers taught historical inaccuracies, and even promoted a student-led pro-Palestinian activism effort.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of six Sequoia district students at Menlo-Atherton and Woodside high schools, is being pursued by The Deborah Project, a Maryland-based legal group addressing antisemitism in education, with pro bono assistance from the law firm Ropes & Gray.
The Deborah Project previously sent a public records request seeking instructional materials referencing “Zionism, Zionists, Israel, Israelis, Palestine, and/or Palestinians” since September 1.Sequoia Union High School District spokesperson Naomi Hunter declined to comment, stating the district had not yet been served with the lawsuit, though federal court records show administrators were served on November 18. Superintendent Crystal Leach did not respond to requests for an interview.
The lawsuit details multiple examples of antisemitic incidents at Woodside and Menlo-Atherton high schools and alleges that district administrators failed to address a surge in antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Lori Lowenthal Marcus, legal director of The Deborah Project, stated, “People claim they are just criticizing Israel, but in reality, they are demonizing Jews and the Jewish state, portraying them as murderers and land thieves. This form of Jew-hatred has been growing through media and education. It has now surfaced in full force, and it is horrific.”
The Deborah Project has also been involved in similar cases in Mountain View and Berkeley.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, names Woodside and Menlo-Atherton high school administrators, district administrators, Board of Trustees members, and teachers, though it does not name the district itself as a defendant.
One of the lawsuit’s most serious claims is that teachers used their positions to spread antisemitic ideology without facing any consequences from school or district leadership.
The lawsuit accuses Woodside history teacher Gregory Gruszynski of using his position to spread “antisemitic and ahistorical pro-Hamas propaganda” under the pretense of teaching 10th-grade World History. It states that he displayed pro-Palestinian political messages in his classroom, taught biased and inaccurate lessons, and singled out the only Jewish student in his class, humiliating her.
Gruszynski did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
According to the lawsuit, Gruszynski publicly mocked a Jewish student, L.K., for her beliefs about Israel, implying that her views were ridiculous.
L.K.‘s father, Sam Kasle, repeatedly requested access to Gruszynski’s curriculum, but Woodside administrators refused to provide it. California law requires instructional materials to be made available for parental inspection.
The lawsuit also alleges that Gruszynski forced students to answer test questions with controversial, factually inaccurate answers. For example, one quiz required students to define Hamas as a “political party fighting against Israel” and state that all of Palestine is occupied by Israel. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
Woodside Principal Karen Van Putten allegedly defended Gruszynski and refused to discipline him.
The lawsuit references former Menlo-Atherton Ethnic Studies teacher Chloe Gentile-Montgomery, whose lesson on November 3, 2023, was labeled “Hamas propaganda” by plaintiffs.
Gentile-Montgomery declined to comment, citing online harassment.
The lawsuit claims her lesson included a slide featuring an antisemitic trope suggesting Jewish control of global institutions and another slide falsely stating that Israel was created illegally on Palestinian land.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that she described Gaza as an “open-air prison” and presented Turkish propaganda videos. When a Jewish student challenged her inaccuracies, she dismissed him as a “biased Jewish freshman” and walked away.
Her lesson sparked backlash, leading to a petition and school board debates. Ultimately, her contract was not renewed.
On March 21, 2024, Woodside High’s student TV program, Woodside Live, aired a segment encouraging students to join the pro-Palestinian movement.
Jewish parents expressed outrage, stating in an email to the principal, “Airing this video to the entire school implies faculty endorsement of the movement. This is not a ‘Call for Change’ but an attempt to indoctrinate students.”
Woodside Principal Van Putten responded that the students had chosen the topic themselves and that administrators do not review or censor student-produced content before airing.
The lawsuit criticizes this response as “a complete failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment.”
After the October 7 Hamas attack, two swastikas appeared on the Woodside High campus.
The lawsuit claims that administrators dismissed concerns, accepting a student’s claim that the symbols were spiritual Japanese Buddhist signs. However, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office has no record of any investigation, contradicting the school’s claims.
In a private meeting, a school administrator allegedly admitted that the student likely understood the Nazi connection but was still not disciplined.
• A Menlo-Atherton substitute teacher allegedly told Holocaust jokes to students. When a Jewish student reported it, the principal offered him either an apology or a new substitute. The student chose an apology, but the lawsuit claims it was insincere, and the teacher remained employed.
• A Woodside math teacher allegedly told a Jewish student he could tell she was Jewish “because of her nose.”
• A teaching assistant allegedly told a Jewish student to remove her Star of David necklace to avoid being “a target of antisemitism.”
• A Menlo-Atherton math teacher allegedly used anti-Israel rhetoric in lessons, contributing to a hostile environment for Jewish students.
The lawsuit claims school administrators repeatedly ignored antisemitic incidents.
• In March 2024, a Woodside student was called an ethnic slur. Administrators promised to separate the student from the offender but failed to do so.
• Parents filed a formal complaint in April 2024. By law, the district had 60 days to investigate and respond, yet over 200 days have passed without action.
• Lead plaintiff Sam Kasle and other Jewish parents attempted to follow district complaint procedures for months but were consistently ignored.
Marcus, the Deborah Project’s legal director, stated, “These parents tried every possible method to resolve the issue through the system. They were ignored, and their children continued to suffer.”
The lawsuit seeks:
• The firing of staff members engaged in antisemitic actions.
• A comprehensive review of all curriculum materials.
• Policies addressing antisemitism.
• The appointment of a special master to oversee reforms.
The full lawsuit, Kasle v. Putten, is available through public court records.
