Schools
Racist Graffiti Found At Bethesda School After Gathering Against Antisemitism
Racist graffiti was drawn at a Montgomery County elementary school, a month after a student drew Nazi symbols in the school restroom.
BETHESDA, MD — Racist graffiti was drawn near the entrance to an elementary school in Montgomery County, a month after a student drew Nazi symbols inside a restroom at the same school, according to a news report.
Staff at Westbrook Elementary School in Bethesda on Tuesday found “KKK” drawn on top of positive messages written during a "Chalk The Walk" event held at the school, WTOP reported Wednesday. The event was held in response to the Nazi symbols found in January and other antisemitic incidents at Montgomery County Public Schools in recent months.
Westbrook Elementary School Principal Karen Cox said she does not believe any students saw the graffiti before it was removed by school staff, according to WTOP.
Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In a letter to the school community, Cox said the Ku Klux Klan has a "long-standing history of very direct and visceral hate against people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+, and who identify as Jewish."
On Jan. 13, a student drew Nazi symbols in a restroom and made antisemitic comments to staff at Westbrook Elementary School, MoCo360 reported. The school did not initially provide details about the antisemitic nature of the incident.
Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
READ ALSO: Antisemitic Graffiti Found At Another Montgomery County Public School
But in a Feb. 10 letter to the school community, Cox shared with families the details of what happened on Jan. 13.
“The Westbrook staff followed MCPS Hate/Bias Incident protocols and are still dealing with the situation,” Cox wrote in the Feb. 10 letter, according to MoCo360. “While students were unaware of the incident and antisemitic remarks, multiple staff members were involved.”
After finding the KKK graffiti on Tuesday, the school acknowledged the latest incident also has antisemitic implications.
“In the context of our community’s demonstration of support for our Jewish families and students, as I said, we must consider this another incident of antisemitism,” Cox wrote in the letter.
A community meeting will be held at Westbrook Elementary School on Wednesday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the recent incidents, WTOP reported.
RELATED: Antisemitic Graffiti Found At Walt Whitman High School In Bethesda
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
