Aberdeen HS Teacher Finds Noose, Racially Motivated Message In Classroom: Police

ABERDEEN, MD — The first thing a teacher at Aberdeen High School saw when he walked into his classroom at 7 a.m. Friday after being gone for two days was a rope tied in the form of a noose hanging on his whiteboard, authorities said.

The teacher instantly notified the school resource officer about the noose, and three messages written on the whiteboard that appeared to be from three different individuals, according to the Aberdeen Police Department. At least one of the notes — which police did not share the contents of — was racially motivated.

Nooses have been reported as symbols of racial unrest in schools and other public sites in the state in the past year.

"We are appalled and deeply saddened that someone brought this noose into our building. We are equally disgusted with one particular statement written on the white board that appears to be racially motivated," the school said, according to WMAR.

The district sent out the following letter to students' parents, according to WMAR:

"As a school, we welcome and honor diversity and are committed to facilitating a safe and secure environment for all our students and staff," the letter stated. "Your support at home is greatly appreciated. Please encourage your student that if they see something, to report it to administrators, the SRO, or someone else that they trust at the school so that we can immediately address it."

Police are currently investigating the incident as a potential hate crime and the school said it will take disciplinary action against the responsible parties.

"Law enforcement partners at the Aberdeen Police Department, along with HCPS Safety and Security, our SRO, the supervisor of equity and cultural proficiency, and school administrators are committed to identifying any person involved," the letter said.