NEW ROCHELLE, NY — On March 15, 2019, the City School District of New Rochelle issued a statement announcing that after a series of incidents of swastikas found in three schools, all first reported by Talk of the Sound except one first report by The Journal News, the District would no long make any public notification.
Over the past several months, leading figures in the New Rochelle Jewish Community stated that a senior school official told them the decision not to make public notification of further incidents came at the recommendation of the New Rochelle Police Department.
Senior police command has since denied making any such recommendation, according to a senior official at City Hall.
Over the course of the 2018-19 school years, there were a dozen incidents of swastikas in threw schools: New Rochelle High School, Albert Leonard Middle School and Isaac E. Young Middle School.
The first was found in a boy’s bathroom at New Rochelle High School and reported by Talk of the Sound.
In an official statement, the District acknowledged the swastika but failed to report that police called to the scene found a second swastika in the same bathroom. Overall, Talk of the Sound was first to report 11 incidents. The Journal News was first to report one. In each instance, the District only issued statements after reports appeared in the media — and failed to acknowledge three of the twelve swastikas.
Since the March 15, 2019 announcement, police received reports of three more incidents.
On March 21, 2019 at Albert Leonard Middle School, the New Rochelle Police Department received a report of a swastika drawn in the girl’s bathroom on the 2nd floor. The head of security, Donald Ross, advised that a security guard advised him that a quarter sized swastika was drawn in pencil on one of the walls. It and was photographed and removed by maintenance.
On March 25, 2019, the New Rochelle Police Department received a report of a swastika located on the classroom door of room 321 at Isaac E. Young Middle School School. The swastika, approximately ¾ inch in size, appeared to be inscribed with a thin tool and was first seen by Assistant Principal Carlson.
On March 29, 2019, the New Rochelle Police Department received a report of q two-inch swastika, written with blue ink, found on a first floor bathroom wall at Albert Leonard Middle School.
Since the end of March 2019, the police have received no further reports from the District; whether that means there have been no more swastika incidents or that the District simply stopped reporting incidents is unclear.
