Montgomery County police are investigating after a racial slur was found spray-painted on Walt Whitman High School.
Police were notified on Sunday, according to a message to community members from Principal Robert Dodd. It does not disclose where the slur — described as the “N-word” — was found, but a school district spokeswoman said it was on the exterior of the building.
School district spokespeople could not immediately be reached for comment.
“I want to emphasize as strongly as possible that hate crimes will not be tolerated in the Walt Whitman High School community,” Dodd’s message said. “If it is discovered that our students were involved, they will receive serious school-based consequences and may face additional charges from Montgomery County Police.”
Last year, two students at the majority-white school in Bethesda were accused of posting a picture on social media wearing blackface, captioned with the N-word. Police documented the post as a bias incident, but did not file criminal charges.
The incident drew the attention of then-County Council President Nancy Navarro, who released a statement saying “it is unfortunate for us to be in 2019 and these incidents are still happening.”
In response, the school launched a new campaign called “OneWhitman” in September designed to promote diversity and inclusion through peer discussions.
The program occurs in homeroom classes each Wednesday. During this week’s session, students will discuss “how hate speech in the community continues to impact our school,” Dodd wrote in his community message.
“Every student deserves to feel like Whitman is their school and is a safe and welcoming place to thrive,” Dodd wrote.
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media
