Racist Signs Found On Bathroom Wall At Fairfield Warde High School

FAIRFIELD, CT — A pair of signs found on a wall in a boy's bathroom at Fairfield Warde High School this week segregated urinals by race, according to Head Principal Paul Cavanna, an act that prompted an investigation by school and police officials.

"School officials were notified promptly and due to our increased monitoring, we were able to quickly identify the student responsible," Cavanna wrote in a letter to the Warde community on Thursday. "In addition, Fairfield Police were made aware of the incident and were consulted in our investigation."

Cavanna said he was disheartened by the incident, and called the signs an "act of reprehensible racist prejudice," which will not be tolerated. He added that "the student involved will be held accountable according to Board of Education Policy 5114 governing suspension and expulsion."

Students removed the signs and were the ones who notified officials, and Cavanna lauded them for showing "exemplary behavior." He added that he hopes that other students will conduct themselves similarly.

Patch reached out to the Fairfield Police Department for information on the department's involvement in investigating the incident, but has not yet received a reply.

Warde scheduled a school-wide Google Meet session during homeroom on Friday, where Cavanna was going to address the incident.

"We will continue our work with the Anti-Defamation League in designing and implementing programs that foster a school culture where all members of our school community are valued and respected," Cavanna said.