Swastika Drawn On Blackboard At LI Middle School: Police

RIVERHEAD, NY — A swastika was found drawn on the blackboard at the Riverhead Middle School Monday, officials said.

According to a message sent out to Blue Waves families by Cheryl Pedisich, interim superintendent of schools, the middle school administration is conducting an investigation with the Riverhead Police Department regarding a student who drew the swastika on a blackboard at the middle school.

"The student is being disciplined in accordance with the code of character, conduct and support, and the district has spoken with the student’s parents," Pedisich said. "We continue our commitment to condemning this behavior and emphasize that any form of anti-Semitic or discriminatory symbols, speech or actions are reprehensible and unacceptable in our schools and community. Unfortunately, these acts are not just limited to the Riverhead community, as incidents of this nature are occurring across Long Island and throughout the country at elevated rates."

Pedisich said the goal is to stress the importance of a school-home partnership for addressing the issues.

"This collaboration is crucial to ensure students fully understand the damage these messages of anti-Semitism cause and to provide students with the support they need to combat hate and bigotry. Please speak with your children and convey the seriousness and hurtful nature of discriminatory acts. As important, please emphasize to your children that there will be serious consequences for those that do engage in this behavior from the school district, and depending on the act, law enforcement."

With an eye toward continuing its mission of fostering an accepting, safe and respectful learning environments, Pedisich said the district-wide diversity, equity and inclusion committee will commence work in the coming weeks to promote tolerance and acceptance and establish programming, events and lessons throughout all of the district's schools.

In addition, Holocaust survivor Marion Blumenthal Lazan will be visiting the Riverhead Middle School on January 11 to speak with students. She was interned at the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen as a child and will discuss her personal experiences with the swastika symbol, anti-Semitism and bigotry, the district said.

The Riverhead Central School District also reacted in September after "reprehensible" swastikas were found drawn on desks in a high school classroom, officials said.

In a letter to the community, Dr. Augustine E. Tornatore, then-superintendent of schools, said the high school administration was informed by one of its teachers that they were made aware of the swastika symbol being drawn on desks in their classroom; the district immediately opened an investigation, he said.

High School Principal Sean O'Hara interviewed the students known to be sitting at the desks; the parents of those students were notified and spoken to, Tornatore said.

The images were removed from the desks, he added.

O’Hara also reached out to the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center in Glen Cove for resources and support, the superintendent added.