BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston police are investigating after hateful graffiti was found painted on the outside of an elementary school in South Boston on Wednesday.
The graffiti was found by a custodian at Joseph P. Tynan Elementary School, who called Boston police, a school spokesman said.
The department’s Civil Rights Unit is now looking into the incident.
Boston Public Schools is making behavioral health staff and school psychologists available to students and staff who need support, will discuss the incident with students “in an age-appropriate manner,” and is notifying parents.
BPS did not disclose the content of the graffiti, but did say they “do not tolerate hatred, discrimination, or bias of any kind.”
“BPS treasures the cultural diversity of our community, which includes young people and adults of an extraordinary array of racial, ethnic, religious and other identities,” Boston Public Schools said in a statement. “Incidents like this are in no way reflective of the safe, secure, and supportive environment that the Boston Public Schools are committed to fostering, nor the values embodied by our students, staff, and families, each of whom are valued members of our community.”
In a statement, Mayor Martin J. Walsh said, “What we saw today on the walls of the Tynan School is horrifying and heinous, and a complete misrepresentation of who we are as a city. Racism and threats of this nature will not be tolerated in our schools or in the City of Boston. To whoever wrote this message, you should be ashamed for spreading this message of hate where our young people go to learn. Boston is a place that is welcoming and inclusive of all. The Boston Police are conducting an investigation and any individuals involved will be held accountable for their actions.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)