A 15-year-old male Marblehead High School student was charged with two counts of vandalism to property, tagging property, and a civil rights violation, following an investigation into hateful graffiti found on school property.
Last Monday and Tuesday, Marblehead Police were made aware of graffiti that included a racial slur and antisemitic symbols on Marblehead High School property.
Superintendent John Robidoux said, “There is no place for hate in our schools or in our community. We want to ensure that all Marblehead students, staff, and community partners are respected, feel welcomed and safe, and that everyone has a voice at the table.”
In his statement, he called on students “to continue to stand up for each other and continue to report issues of hate and discrimination to trusted adults so that they can be addressed immediately.”
He also called on staff, “Staff need to continue to address instances of discrimination in the moment to demonstrate that we will not tolerate hate within our schools.”
Parents too, “Parents are encouraged to have conversations about not tolerating hateful speech or messaging in school and outside of school.”
He emphasized that everyone in the community must work together to stop these incidents from happening and report it if it does.
“It takes a collaborative effort to affect positive change, so working together is the only way we can ensure that everyone feels like they are a part of our learning community,” Robidoux said.
School Resource Officer Sean Sweeney Jr. led an investigation that identified the student believed to be responsible for both incidents. It does not appear that anyone else was involved.
“The cooperation between the School and Police Department makes a great difference when dealing with this type of abhorrent behavior. We could not have identified a suspect so quickly without such a strong relationship,” said Police Chief Dennis King. “There is no place in Marblehead for hate of any kind, especially in our schools, and we are taking this incident very seriously.”
Police determined that there was no threat to the safety of staff or students.
The Marblehead Police Department notified the Anti-Defamation League and local community leaders to help prepare for any follow-up actions that may be needed as a town.
The male student is scheduled to appear in Lynn Juvenile Court at a future date.
