NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle police recently responded to multiple reports of Swastikas at New Rochelle High School, Talk of the Sound has learned.
Two swastikas were located on November 21st in the boys bathroom near the lower cafeteria, said New Rochelle Police Captain Cosmo Costa. Two more Swastikas were found the following day, one located in the boys bathroom near the Athletic Directors Office and another in the Library.
“The school took photos then removed the swastikas,” said Costa. “They were written in black marker about 2 inches in height.”:
“The District is troubled that multiple swastikas have been found in our schools over the past few weeks,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Laura Feijóo. “The symbols were immediately removed.”
“We recognize this type of graffiti as an act of hate,” said Feijóo. “We will identify those responsible so that they may face appropriate consequences, and to address underlying social and emotional issues that would cause a child to act out in this fashion.”
Feijóo said the District does not anticipate making further statements on this issue to avoid encouraging copycat behavior.
The incidents mark the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th Swastikas reported at New Rochelle schools since Talk of the Sound first published a photo on November 8, 2018, of what school officials later called a “4-inch swastika.”
As of September 26, 2019, the New Rochelle Police Department told Talk of the Sound they had not received any new reports of Swastikas from the City School District of New Rochelle since March 29, 2019. That changed last month.
The District has issued several false and misleading public statements on the prevalence of swastikas in the schools.
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 past year there have been nineteen incidents of Swastikas in three schools: New Rochelle High School, Albert Leonard Middle School and Isaac E. Young Middle School.
After the initial reports of Swastikas, Interim Superintendent Dr. Magda Parvey announced the District would hold assemblies and lessons intended to “further develop a better understanding of the deep significance of such symbols and the harm caused by all acts that promote racism, discrimination, and exclusion.”
In March 2019, the District announced a policy that they would no longer disclose the discovery of Swastikas at New Rochelle Schools. Of the 12 Swastikas reported at the time by Talk of the Sound, 11 were reported by school officials to the police but just 5 were disclosed to the public by the District. Since then another 7 Swastikas were reported to the police but not disclosed by the District bringing the total to 14 Swastikas not disclosed to the public by the District.
The District was asked for a statement on the latest anti-Semitic incident in New Rochelle schools but has not responded.
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