Two incidents of swastika graffiti were discovered this month at Reading Memorial High School in Massachusetts, and town officials say they are taking it very seriously.
It all started on May 4, when police say students found a swastika drawn in blue marker on a classroom floor. Police were called, but no one was caught.
Wednesday night, another swastika, along with other graffiti, was found drawn on a wall of a bathroom in the school field house.
School officials and police are now reacting swiftly and publicly condemning the hateful drawings.
"As leaders in the Town of Reading, we are committed to ridding our community of hate and hateful speech," Reading Police Chief Mark Segalla said in a statement. "That means we need to come together and have uncomfortable discussions about how we treat each other and what words and symbols really mean."
"As a school district, we accept that we have a responsibility to dig deeper and teach our children about the topics of hate, racism, and fear," added Dr. John F. Doherty, the superintendent of schools. "We will continue to use these situations as teachable moments for our students."
