Racist Graffiti Discovered at Ridgefield High School

RIDGEFIELD, CT — School officials discovered racist graffiti written on a bank of lockers in the boys' locker room of Ridgefield High School.

"We discovered a racial slur, 'the N Word,'" RHS principal Stacy Gross said in a statement read to students and staff on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

"I wish to emphasize that those who create such statements serve to offend all of us in our Ridgefield High School community, and this will never be considered acceptable behavior," Gross said.

In a separate statement issued to parents on Tuesday, Interim Superintendent of Schools JeanAnn Paddyfote called upon parents "to speak to your child about tolerance and if you have any questions about how the topic is addressed at your school please contact the principal, assistant principal or elementary supervisor for information."

Gross said that the school will be notifying the Norwalk branch of the NAACP.

It is not the first time that Ridgefield High School, nor the surrounding town, has been the canvas for expressions of hate speech. Obscenities and racial slurs were spray painted onto buildings and lean-to structures in the Sturges Park area in December. A red swastika was found painted near the playground in Ballard Park in 2016, racist graffiti was discovered in RHS in March 2017, and a swastika was found carved into a table at the school later that year in September. The swastikas returned to Ballard Park the following spring, and recurred throughout the summer.

"These acts sharply contrast our Mission Statement and Core Values," Gross said. "They are actions intended to demean and diminish members of our community, the people that we live side by side with every day of the school year."