Wootton HS Principal On Leave After Racist Slur Found On Desk: Reports

ROCKVILLE, MD — A Montgomery County high school principal has been placed on leave after a racial slur was found written on the desk of a Black student, according to multiple reports.

A Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson confirmed to MoCo360 that Thomas S. Wootton High School Principal Douglas Nelson was placed on leave following a public outcry over the district's response to the incident and lack of substantial change in addressing anti-Black racism at the school.

Wylea Chase, executive director of the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence, also confirmed Nelson's leave to MoCo360.

“It’s a very small first step,” Chase told the publication Monday. “It’s not the magic bullet; it’s the climate and the culture that needs to change.”

According to an email sent by the school and acquired by WJLA, officials said the graffiti was reported on Dec. 3. The email said the N-word was written on a student's desk.

Seven months ago at the same high school, a student printed the N-word 1,000 times on 1,000 pieces of paper, WJLA said.

According to reports, the graffiti incident was not addressed by district officials until Dec. 6, four days after the incident occurred. Black Student Union leaders Teemo Taiwo and Leila Khademian told MoCo360 that even though the student reported the incident to the classroom teacher, the teacher didn’t report the incident to officials.

In a letter written to Wootton administrators, the two students also accused them of not responding adequately to anti-Black hate incidents.

"When swastikas are drawn on the art tables, the police are called, the superintendent gives a message, news stations give multiple reports, etc. For every instance, the principal has sent a community message on the day of the incident. Appropriate action cannot only be taken for white and white-adjacent groups," the letter stated, according to reports.

In a note sent to the community on Sunday, Superintendent Thomas Taylor and Chief of Schools Peter Moran said the district's response to the incident was "not up to their expectations."

“We recognize that the harm caused to the community by the actual incident and by the lack of prompt reporting is not isolated to this incident, and we are committed to strengthening future response and to fostering a community where understanding, empathy, and respect replace hate and bias," Taylor and Moran said in the note obtained by WTOP.

Chase told WJLA that district officials said Nelson would be replaced by an interim principal who will begin working at the school on Wednesday.

Last week, Montgomery County launched an online reporting system for hate and bias incidents. The new reporting format on the county’s website is intended to make reporting all kinds of incidents simpler, county officials said, and allows reports to be filed anonymously.

“We encourage people to file. You can file anonymously. You do not have to attach your name or any information that connects (you back) to this report,” Montgomery County Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Earl Stoddard said. “If you do provide an email address, you’ll be given a tracking number, that way you can follow up.”