'Abhorrent Behavior' Will Not Continue In Summit Schools

SUMMIT, NJ - Hours after Summit Superintendent of Schools June Chang said the district will no longer 'broadly communicate' additional incidents of hate graffiti found in the district, Chief of Police Robert Weck offered an update of his own.

"The Summit Police Department is involved in an ongoing investigation so I am unable to comment on the specifics of it at this time,” Weck said. “Our Detective and Juvenile Bureau personnel are working closely with school administrations and staffs at both the middle school and high school. We will be part of a continuing community conversation on tolerance and inclusion, and do our part to ensure that this abhorrent behavior will not continue.”

In a message sent out last night, Chang noted that future updates may not be as forthcoming.

"As part of our ongoing consultation with local authorities, it has been determined that it is in the best interest of the investigations to refrain from broadly communicating about additional incidents should they occur," Chang said. " We will continue to respond immediately to any potential further reports, and work closely with the police."

Chang said they remain committed to the planned district-wide response and the programming that was outlined in the letters sent by each principal today. The details of those programs were not provided to the media.

On social media, the reaction to Chang's decision was mixed.

"Why in the world would the Superintendent NOT want to announce future incidents," Anne Plaut posted on the Summit Patch Facebook page. "In WWII, residents of the European countries where the Holocaust was occurring later claimed they did not know what was happening, a bold untruth. Shedding light on these incidents is one way of stemming the tide."

Aubrey Tejada said that the district want to stop reporting so they can try to hide the hate going on in the schools.

Jeff Goldstein posted that those responsible for the graffiti were doing it for attention.

"This is all about publicity and causing an uproar so the less publicity incidents like these are given the better," he said.

Goldstein's sentiments were echoed by Andrew Myers, who posted to the Summit Patch Facebook page he saw why the district was tightening their lips.

"I understand why, because whomever is doing it expects notoriety," he said. "They’re trying to cause a big uproar."

Related Stories:

• Swastikas Found In Summit Middle School
• Investigation Into Summit Schools Swastika Graffiti Continues
• Swastikas Found In Summit High School
• Summit Mayor: Fight Against Hate At Interfaith Menorah Lighting
• Summit Declares 'No Home For Hate' At Menorah Lighting

The symbols drew swift condemnation from Summit officials and Mayor Nora Radest and Common Council President David Naidu spoke out about the incidents at a "No Home For Hate" rally at Temple Sinai's menorah lighting last Tuesday.

Radest said that every time a hateful word is uttered or a loathsome symbol is drawn, each and everyone in Summit is wounded and the community as a whole is wounded as well.

"These are not just words and symbols on a wall, they are attacks on fellow students, friends and neighbors," Radest said. "They are not abstract attacks. They are personal."

For his part, Naidu said that Summit is a community that condemns the use of hateful symbols and speech, the ideologies that underlie them, and the individuals who seek to maliciously use them to sow fear and division.

"More importantly, we are a community that will not sit idly when this happens," Naidu said. "For history teaches us, evil flourishes when good people are silent. Well, we will speak out, we will educate, we will show compassion, we will punish those responsible, and we will act."

Chang, who was in attendance for the ceremony, said that they will continue to seek out and take disciplinary action on those involved in the defacing of school property.

"As we have stated before, the Board and I remain very clear; acts of hate will not be tolerated in the Summit Public Schools," Chang said. "Working to prevent further acts of hate like these is an ongoing effort."

Similar graffiti was found in Westfield schools, and officials there have involved the Union County Prosecutor's Office for assistance.

Related Stories:

• Swastika Found In Westfield Elementary School Bathroom
• Westfield BOE Addresses 'Unacceptable' Swastika Symbol
• Hate Graffiti Found In Westfield School Again

(Photo courtesy of Google Images)

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