San Dieguito students hold display of kindness after hate incident

ENCINITAS — Students at San Dieguito Academy organized a demonstration of love and kindness last week to promote healing after a recent act of antisemitism on campus. 

On Sept. 25, hundreds of students and staff gathered on the athletic field in the shape of a giant heart to demonstrate values of respect, love, and belonging. The demonstration was organized by SDA senior and Associated Student Body member Jonah Lupien, along with other ASB members. 

Months earlier, in May, a group of students allegedly lay on the same SDA athletic field in the form of a swastika, an image of which was captured by a Jewish student flying overhead. While the student’s family immediately reported the incident to the school, they said it went unaddressed for months. 

San Dieguito Union High School District administrators later stated that they were not made aware of the incident by the school until late August and have since initiated an investigation.

Lupien said he and others wanted to send a message of belonging and compassion in a time of division. The idea started during a conversation with his family, and grew as he discussed it with others, including his Jewish community. 

“As students, we want you to know that this action is the start of something, not the end,” Lupien said. “We will not stand for hate. We stand for kindness and compassion.”

Lupien said he was initially concerned that the campus community would be apathetic, but was happy to see so many people join in. 

“Today, I felt embraced and supported by my peers in a way that was deeply inspiring,” he said. 

The family of the student who saw the swastika claims that he was targeted in an antisemitic hate crime. Larry Gordon, the student’s father, spoke publicly at the district board’s Sept. 11 meeting, stating that they were met with “silence and delay” after reporting the incident to the school.

San Dieguito Union High School District Superintendent Anne Staffieri said in a Sept. 18 statement that she was “shocked and appalled” by the incident, and that there was an “unacceptable breakdown in communication” between school administrators and the district. 

Staffieri said once she became aware of the swastika image, the district immediately launched an investigation and took action to work with the families involved and provide support to students.

“We are understandably hearing from people asking why it took us so long to address the situation – an incident that occurred at the end of May – and why we are not being more transparent with the community,” Staffieri said. “The moment the situation came to the attention of the District, we worked with the family to gather facts, examine the breakdown in internal communication, and initiated an investigation so that all concerns could be addressed.”

PeerK12, a group that worked with the family to raise awareness about the incident, stated that SDA Principal Cara Dolnik had been placed on administrative leave in September. 

During a closed session meeting on Sept. 25, the San Dieguito Union High School District board confirmed that they approved a separation agreement with a high school principal, but did not clarify who. 

When asked by The Coast News, district spokesperson Edwin Mendoza said Tuesday that Dolnik is “out of the office,” and that Robert Shockney is currently supporting the principal’s office at SDA.