Hate-Vandalism Spikes after Election
by Jared Schwartz ‘18
Incidents of hate-related vandalism have continued at schools in Montgomery County. In a local incident in late 2016 at the nearby Belmont Elementary school, the words, “brown people suck” were found written in the girls’ bathroom, according to “The Washington Post.”
The rise in hate-related incidents has coincided with Donald Trump’s election. While MCPS has not publicly released how many incidents of hate-related vandalism have occurred, Superintendent Jack Smith issued a statement on November 19 that, “Montgomery County Public Schools has seen a surge in hate-related vandalism.”
“Students engaged in this behavior will be disciplined to the fullest extent possible in accordance with MCPS policy,” wrote Smith. “The MCPS Department of School Safety and Security is working with the Montgomery County Police Department to investigate these acts of vandalism and to ensure that our schools remain safe places to learn.”
Hate-vandalism is a county-wide phenomenon. Swastikas were found in Bethesda outside Burning Tree Elementary School on October 30, and inside the boys’ bathroom at Westland Middle School on November 11, according to the Washington Post. At Quince Orchard, a Swastika was burned into the football field in October and one was found in a bathroom on November 29. A Swastika was found on a bathroom wall at Beall Elementary School in Rockville on November 29 as well, and one was drawn on a table at Walter Johnson in late 2016. “The Washington Post” also reported that a sign reading “whites only” was taped to a boys’ bathroom door in Churchill on November 10, that a racist statement was found on a bathroom wall at Woodlin Elementary School in Silver Spring on December 9, and that the words, “Kill Kill Kill Blacks” were found in Sligo Creek Elementary School in Silver Spring in November.
Continuing concerns about hate-related incidents resulted in MCPS sending a memorandum to all principals on January 19 entitled, “ACTION: Expectations for Student and Staff Member Behavior.” The memorandum included resources on how to encourage tolerance of ethnic minorities in schools. Principals were asked to “review this information with your staff members and share the resources provided in the attachments.”
There have been two reported incidents of hate-related vandalism at Sherwood where hate-related graffiti was found on desks. Before Thanksgiving break, a teacher erased the vandalism from the desk before reporting the incident to Principal Bill Gregory in December.
After Gregory learned of the vandalism, he sent an email to teachers on December 16, asking them to “be aware of the furniture walls and other things in [their] classroom.” Gregory also urged teachers to “report [vandalism] to security or to an administrator immediately. These hate words and symbols are not something to be tolerated here and I want to be able to be able to nd the person(s) who did this.” While principals are not required to do so, Gregory reports incidents of hate-related vandalism to the director of school performance. None of the perpetrators at Sherwood have been caught. Gregory commented that all incidents of hate vandalism are subject to the MCPS Code of Conduct, and that he has the power to impose a “10- day suspension with request for expulsion.”