BOSTON — William Diamond Middle School Principal Johnny Cole sent an email in 2026 apologizing to Arab, Muslim, Palestinian, and Lebanese students for a mandatory Holocaust lesson. Cole wrote in the email that he apologized for "missing the mark" with the lesson.

In the email, Cole stated, "Some of you felt unseen. Some of you felt that your own history, identity, or community was left out or erased. Some of you left that session feeling less safe, not more." He added, "Every one of you deserves to walk into this school and feel that who you are matters - Arab students, Jewish students, Lebanese students, Muslim students, Palestinian students." Cole stated he would work with teachers and families in the community to "build something better that includes all of our histories."

Stop Antisemitism condemned the email. The organization stated, "Since when is teaching historical fact something that requires an apology? And why is a school principal validating outrage over Holocaust education instead of defending it?"

This email followed an incident in December 2025, where students at William Diamond Middle School drew neo-Nazi symbols on bathroom walls. On December 17, Cole shared with parents and students that graffiti at the school included an antisemitic neo-Nazi symbol and a racist anti-Black epithet. In a statement, Cole said, "We want them to do the opposite of this — we want them to build a culture of unity and togetherness in this space, and suspensions and traditional disciplinary methods don't typically do that."

Separately, student Teaghan Murtagh wrote a letter to the Lexington Observer after Principal Cole instructed her not to wear a T-shirt. Murtagh's T-shirt had the words "Save the bees. Plant more trees. Clean the seas. Punch Nazis." She had worn the shirt to school regularly for nearly two years. Murtagh stated, "Dr. Cole told me not to wear the shirt to school again because he 'had received some student complaints' from students who 'felt threatened'." Murtagh's great-grandmother was a Holocaust survivor who spent the war in a concentration camp.