The Ethical Culture Fieldston School, a private institution in the Bronx with a $65,000 annual tuition, announced it will permit students who feel “emotionally distressed” by election results to skip classes the following day, according to a recent email obtained by The New York Times.

The email from Upper School Principal Stacey Bobo, titled “Election Day support,” outlined several accommodations for students, including no homework assignments on Election Day, no assessments the following day, and excused absences on Wednesday or whenever the results are announced if students feel unable to fully engage in classes.

In addition, counselors will be available to provide support.

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The decision drew mixed reactions from the Fieldston community. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, whose children previously attended the school, criticized the approach. “This is why the kids hated it. What kind of lives have these people led that makes them think that this is the right way to handle young people?” Seinfeld told The Times, adding, “To encourage them to buckle. This is the lesson they are providing, for ungodly sums of money.”

Seinfeld and his wife ultimately transferred their younger son to Riverdale Country School during eighth grade.

Fieldston, known as a progressive institution emphasizing cultural diversity, has recently faced controversy over its handling of political issues. Following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, some Jewish parents and students expressed concerns about a perceived rise in antisemitic sentiment within the school community.

The school became a focal point for criticism in May when two seniors wrote “Free Palestine” on a campus wall. Administrators responded by holding a “listening session” with Jewish parents, which some criticized as insufficient.

Concerns about antisemitism resurfaced when The View co-host Sunny Hostin’s daughter, a recent Fieldston graduate, shared an anti-Israel message on social media, stating, “FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE,” sparking further tensions within the community.

Sunny Hostin’s daughter, Paloma, just graduated from Fieldston, a $63k per year elite private high school in NYC.

How did she celebrate? By taking to SnapChat and calling for the erasure of the world’s only Jewish state.

She’s off to Cornell, class of 2028. pic.twitter.com/0JEvsBoJX1

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) May 31, 2024

The message, posted on Snapchat, was widely shared by StopAntisemitism, a group monitoring antisemitic incidents.

The school’s handling of these incidents has reportedly led to criticism from families who say Fieldston does not address antisemitism with the same urgency as other forms of discrimination. “The biggest issue is that when things pop up around antisemitism, they are not taken as seriously as issues like racism or homophobia,” a source familiar with the situation told The New York Post.

Another former parent claimed that “pro-Palestine, pro-Hamas sentiment is not just coming from the students; it’s coming from the teachers as well.”

In August, head of school Joe Algrant resigned, following a tumultuous year that saw mounting tensions within the Fieldston community.

Some parents, however, support the school’s decision to offer accommodations around Election Day. “I think it’s absolutely the right decision. These students are very astute. I think their rights are on the line, whether it’s on election night or in five years, and they know it,” Joe Couchman, a Fieldston parent, told The Times.

Founded in 1878 by Felix Adler, the son of a rabbi, the Ethical Culture Fieldston School has a history of educating children from New York’s elite, including alumni like restaurateur Eli Zabar, photographer Diane Arbus, and Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim.

It is one of three prestigious “Hill schools” in the Bronx, alongside Riverdale Country School and Horace Mann.