Stamford Police Investigating Swastikas Found At Stamford School's Tennis Courts

STAMFORD, CT — The Stamford Police Department is investigating seven small swastikas that were found drawn on the tennis courts at the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) on Oct. 27.

The symbols were found by students who immediately reported them to AITE administrators, who then alerted the SPD, school district leadership and the mayor's office, a joint message said from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tamu Lucero, Mayor Caroline Simmons, and Board of Education Chair Jackie Heftman.

"We unequivocally denounce this abhorrent antisemitic act and we reached out personally to members of the Jewish faith community in Stamford to inform them of this incident," Lucero, Simmons and Heftman said.

Lt. Jerry Junes of the SPD told Patch on Monday that the department condemns any and all hate speech. He also noted that there have not been any threats or discussions at area schools about violence against students, staff or a specific group of people, and no reports have been made to the SPD.

Right now it appears to be vandalism, Junes said.

"They were very small in size; there was nothing that was overly powerful," Junes added.

The city officials said this is the second time that swastikas have been discovered on the AITE campus since Hamas’s terrorist attack against Israel on Oct. 7.

Swastikas were also found on a curbside at the campus on Oct. 11, Junes said.

The latest drawings could be related, and officials might have just missed them earlier in October because they were small, Junes said.

"This is an ongoing investigation," Junes said. "We want to encourage people — if you see anything like this, report it to us immediately."

SPS said school campuses are open to the public when school is not in session, and that they "have no indication that either incident was perpetrated by a member of the school community," Lucero, Simmons and Heftman said.

"[Friday]’s incident is yet another reminder that we must denounce hate in all its forms. Antisemitism, racism, hate speech, bullying, or the dissemination of hate-related symbols will not be tolerated in the city of Stamford or Stamford Public Schools. Everyone in our community – especially the young people who attend our schools – deserve respect and to live, work, and learn without fear of being targeted based on their faith, nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation," the message added.

The discovery of the drawings comes at a time when the Anti-Defamation League is reporting a surge in antisemitic incidents across the country.

The ADL said it recorded a total of 312 antisemitic incidents between Oct. 7 and Oct. 23, 2023, 190 of which were directly linked to the war in Israel and Gaza. During the same period in 2022, the ADL received preliminary reports of 64 incidents, four of which were Israel-related.

Stamford and SPS are asking families to immediately report any antisemitic incidents at their school to the building principal or another administrator. If the school administration does not respond to reported concerns within 48 hours, the matter should be escalated to Lucero’s office via email at SPSSuper@stamfordct.gov.

"We want to be clear that under no circumstances should a student or staff member feel bullied, targeted, or singled out based on their faith," Lucero, Simmons and Heftman said.

Additionally, the city and school district will be working with local faith leaders and community organizations to offer anti-bias programming in Stamford's middle and high schools.

The effort will be led by Lucero, in partnership with Simmons's office, and the associate superintendents who supervise the schools — Dr. Michael Fernandes and Dr. Lori Rhodes.

More information on the programming will be shared soon, the officials said.

"We will continue to work together to create a community in which every resident feels respected, accepted, and welcome," Lucero, Simmons and Heftman said. "The students who reported this latest example of hate should be commended for setting a positive example for everyone in our community."

Editor's note: The photo cutline has been corrected to reflect that the SPD "condemns" hate speech