Juvenile Admits To Racist Slurs On Wayland High Display

WAYLAND, MA—The juvenile who scribbled racist slurs on a display at Wayland High School has reportedly admitted to committing the hate crime, said police.

A racist slur was scribbled across an African American history display inside the high school. "The word that was written was hurtful, disturbing and should be removed from our vocabulary," said police.

Police treated the incident as a hate crime, which is defined as “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”

The Wayland Police and Schools thoroughly investigated the incident. A juvenile student admitted to defacing the display.

"We can say with confidence that this incident was not a hate crime," said police. "This was a complex incident and we will not release the identity of the juvenile student."

Superintendent Arthur Unobskey originally sent a letter to the school community on Wednesday telling them that he wanted to address an issue "honestly and make sure the kids felt safe and protected."

The offense, which was written in permanent market in several spots, occurred on Tuesday morning and then reported to staff, reports Fox 25 News. The display is for an upcoming anniversary.

Principal Allyson Mizoguchi also addressed a letter to the community that said she was "devastated to report"the news. It is here:

Two days ago, the Wayland community came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of METCO in a
joyful Open House event at Wayland High School. Among the many palpable sentiments shared at this
event was the vitality and importance of racial and cultural diversity, and our ongoing commitment to
building bridges of understanding in our community.

In searing contrast to the joy of this weekend’s celebration, today I am devastated to report that this
morning, at approximately 9:30 a.m., a student reported racist graffiti to a teacher. The graffiti defaced the
Timeline Tunnel display depicting African American History in Wayland and a METCO 50th Anniversary
display in the History hallway and Student Learning Center (SLC). An individual or individuals wrote the
n-word prominently and in full public view with permanent marker on three different portions of the
student-created displays.

This act is an abhorrent violation of our values and an insult to our community. Hate in any form -- whether
in word or in deed -- has no place at WHS. Unfortunately, as a microcosm of our larger society, our school
still has work to do when it comes to embodying a fully inclusive, hate-free, and understanding community.

In Advisory tomorrow, we will use this opportunity with our students to declare again our mission and
expectations and to probe how we might do more to prevent such acts. Additionally, we welcome all
interested students to attend a lunchtime discussion in the Fine Arts Shop (room A139) to process this event.

This is also an opportunity for our community to band together in solidarity against hatred. I respectfully
urge parents to discuss this incident with your child and to support a shared vision for our school community
of respect and equity.

Although the graffiti has been removed and the displays have been restored, we will continue to vigorously
investigate the incident. In light of the ongoing investigation, I ask you to please pass on information
regarding the graffiti to Mr. Nocito, Mr. Dolleman or me. Any student may also provide information through
the school Confidential Safety Reporting Form.

Photo via town of Wayland