Hayward school district administrators failed to respond to multiple complaints about an educator teaching antisemitic material in his classroom, the findings of a six-month independent investigation have found, the latest chapter of a nearly year-long controversy over Henry Bens, a former English teacher at Mt. Eden High School.
Last December, students and teachers reported that Bens was using The Hidden Tyranny, an antisemitic text written by Holocaust denier Benjamin Freedman, in his 10th grade classroom. According to multiple teens at the school, Bens also saluted Adolf Hitler and made excuses for him, saying Bens would “let (Hitler) share his views” if he was given the opportunity.
Nearly 10 months later, an independent investigation by Ellis Investigations Law Corporation verified that Bens had taught with antisemitic materials and verbally attacked teachers who spoke up against him. Now, a second investigation has found neither Mt. Eden nor Hayward Unified administrators adequately addressed students’ concerns. The investigation found that school administrators admitted they did not read the antisemitic text, observe Bens’ classes, or speak to students after concerns about Bens were raised.
Although the district learned of Bens’ behavior in mid December 2022, administrators did not take action to address the situation until February 2023, placing the teacher on paid administrative leave. That’s despite two of those administrators having “a duty to ensure that teachers used appropriate supplemental sources… but did not do so with sufficient diligence.”
Administrators at Mt. Eden High and Hayward Unified denied that they failed to address students’ concerns, but according to the investigation, “the evidence contradicted their accounts.”
“Having found the above stated conduct occurred, corrective action is appropriate,” said Dr. Jason Reimann, the superintendent of Hayward Unified, in a letter to one of the complainants that was obtained by The Bay Area News Group. Reimann did not state what specific actions were being taken.
“However, please be assured the District is taking appropriate action to address the matter,” he added.
The investigation also found that a Mt. Eden administrator harshly criticized a student, recent graduate Ruchita Verma, in a meeting about Anti-Semitism Awareness Week. Verma was one of the first students to raise the alarm about Bens’ instruction, and had tried to organize the week of events after Bens was removed from the high school.
The administrator said the 18-year-old “did not care about Jewish people and implied that (she was) antisemitic” in front of Verma’s teachers and classmates, an incident that resulted in Verma running from the room in tears, according to the investigative report.
“People might think that because the investigation ended, all issues are resolved,” said Verma. “But that’s far from the truth.”
The investigation was released amidst growing antisemitism across the country. Two weeks after war broke out between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7, there was a 400% uptick in the number of antisemitic incidents in the United States, advocacy group Anti-Defamation League reported last month.
Though Reimann said he could not comment on personnel matters, he did state that he hopes “the conclusion of the independent investigations helps lead us to healing.”
Hayward Unified cut ties with the teacher in October, but agreed to keep providing his regular monthly salary and benefits until the end of January 2024, according to the settlement agreement between Bens and Hayward Unified.
During the 2021-22 academic year, Bens’ salary was $113,815 a year, district spokesperson Michael Bazeley said. As of early November, Bens’ teaching credential remained valid and is not set to expire until next April.
Though the investigation found that district and Mt. Eden administrators addressed antisemitism on the high school’s campus four months after the complaints were made, both teachers and Verma said that was far from the case. The healing circle cited in the report, for example, was described by Verma as a ring of candles with a stuffed bear in the middle, with Beyonce music playing in the background to “honor Holocaust survivors.”
“That’s outrageous,” Verma said. “(These findings) don’t capture our experiences.”
