A swastika was spray-painted on the side of Richard Montgomery High School and authorities are considering the case a hate crime.
In a letter to parents and students, Principal Intern Kiera Butler said the bright orange swastika was found over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend and has been removed.
Rockville police are investigating the “demeaning” act, according to the letter. It was not clear if the school’s surveillance cameras captured the incident.
Less than a month ago, red cups placed in a fence outside the school were arranged to spell out a racial slur, the letter said.
School administration and police have no leads for either case, Butler said.
Richard Montgomery’s student population of 2,500 is about 30 percent white, 17 percent black and 23 percent Hispanic or Latino, according to its Schools at a Glance profile.
“There is zero tolerance for bigotry in all forms,” Butler wrote. “Whether perpetrated by a student in our building or a person in the community, we need to stand united to send the message that we are a school that embraces our diversity and will not allow the infiltration of hatred.”
The school system’s policy says discrimination in any form will not be tolerated because it “impedes Montgomery County Public Schools’ ability to discharge its responsibilities to all students and staff and achieve our community’s long-standing efforts to create, foster, and promote equity, inclusion and acceptance for all.”
According to a county police report, 31 of Montgomery County’s 112 – or about one-fourth – reports of bias incidents in 2017 occurred at schools and generally involved vandalism. The majority of reports included anti-Semitic language or swastikas. In 2016, 21 bias reports involved schools.
Of the 51 bias reports determined to have been motivated by religion, 74.5 percent were considered anti-Jewish, according to the report.
County data shows more than 58 percent of Montgomery County residents are non-white and 3 percent identify as Jewish.
“Hate and prejudice have a profound impact on our community,” Police Chief Tom Manger wrote in the report. “No one should live in fear, all people should be encouraged to report hate crimes.”
Bethesda Beat Reporter Charlie Wright contributed to this story
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media
