CHESTERFIELD — School district officials on Tuesday said a Black student admitted writing racist graffiti in multiple bathrooms at Parkway Central High School last week.
A Parkway School District spokeswoman said officials don’t know why the student committed the acts of vandalism, or used the racist slurs.
In a letter to district parents, students and staff Tuesday, Superintendent Keith Marty said the student’s race “does not diminish the hurt it caused or the negative impact it has on our entire community.”
“We cannot presume the reasons a student would do this and it will be important to understand why this happened as we move forward,” he added.
The messages at Parkway Central included a racial slur against Blacks on the bathroom walls as well as a statement wishing for the death of Black people, officials said.
Other racist messages were also written in a bathroom at Parkway North, though few details were available about that incident. District spokeswoman Cathy Kelly said officials are “very close” to finding the culprit. School officials do not believe the two incidents are related, she said.
Marty said in his email that the Parkway Central vandalism was a “significant violation of multiple codes of conduct” and the matter had been referred to law enforcement. He also said the student would face “severe disciplinary consequences” from the district.
The discovery of the messages prompted students to walk out in protest last week at multiple high schools. At Parkway Central, some students cursed at school administrators and others were brought to tears.
Brittanee Jackson, a 17-year-old senior at Parkway Central who participated in the walkout, called the revelations that a Black student had written the messages “embarrassing,” but said in an interview Tuesday with the Post-Dispatch that it did not diminish the student protesters’ anti-racism message.
She said she hoped administrators would do more to make sure there was a clear policy in place to address racist statements and sentiments from being shared in the first place.
“If we’re going to a school that is very diverse, that’s probably one of the first things that should be done,” she said.
Marty said in his letter that the walkouts were a “clear indication that more work is needed to ensure our school cultures and communities are safe for each student regardless of their race.”
“I want to tell the thousands of students who participated on behalf of themselves and their fellow classmates: I am proud of you for supporting one another and we heard you loud and clear,” he wrote.
The incident marked the second time in recent years that a student of color was caught writing racist graffiti in a Parkway high school. In 2017, a nonwhite student admitted to writing “White lives matter” followed by a racial slur in a Parkway Central bathroom.
Earlier this year, two 18-year-olds, one of whom was Black, were charged with causing property damage after spray-painting racist graffiti on the outside of Kirkwood High School and Nipher and North Kirkwood middle schools. A juvenile was also referred to St. Louis Family Court.
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A Parkway School District spokeswoman said officials don’t know why the student committed the acts of vandalism, or used the racist slurs.
In a letter to district parents, students and staff Tuesday, Superintendent Keith Marty said the student’s race “does not diminish the hurt it caused or the negative impact it has on our entire community.”
“We cannot presume the reasons a student would do this and it will be important to understand why this happened as we move forward,” he added.
The messages at Parkway Central included a racial slur against Blacks on the bathroom walls as well as a statement wishing for the death of Black people, officials said.
Other racist messages were also written in a bathroom at Parkway North, though few details were available about that incident. District spokeswoman Cathy Kelly said officials are “very close” to finding the culprit. School officials do not believe the two incidents are related, she said.
Marty said in his email that the Parkway Central vandalism was a “significant violation of multiple codes of conduct” and the matter had been referred to law enforcement. He also said the student would face “severe disciplinary consequences” from the district.
The discovery of the messages prompted students to walk out in protest last week at multiple high schools. At Parkway Central, some students cursed at school administrators and others were brought to tears.
Brittanee Jackson, a 17-year-old senior at Parkway Central who participated in the walkout, called the revelations that a Black student had written the messages “embarrassing,” but said in an interview Tuesday with the Post-Dispatch that it did not diminish the student protesters’ anti-racism message.
She said she hoped administrators would do more to make sure there was a clear policy in place to address racist statements and sentiments from being shared in the first place.
“If we’re going to a school that is very diverse, that’s probably one of the first things that should be done,” she said.
Marty said in his letter that the walkouts were a “clear indication that more work is needed to ensure our school cultures and communities are safe for each student regardless of their race.”
“I want to tell the thousands of students who participated on behalf of themselves and their fellow classmates: I am proud of you for supporting one another and we heard you loud and clear,” he wrote.
The incident marked the second time in recent years that a student of color was caught writing racist graffiti in a Parkway high school. In 2017, a nonwhite student admitted to writing “White lives matter” followed by a racial slur in a Parkway Central bathroom.
Earlier this year, two 18-year-olds, one of whom was Black, were charged with causing property damage after spray-painting racist graffiti on the outside of Kirkwood High School and Nipher and North Kirkwood middle schools. A juvenile was also referred to St. Louis Family Court.
Black student admits to writing racist graffiti in Parkway Central bathrooms
The messages appeared last week in Parkway Central High School bathrooms and prompted students to walk out in protest of racism in the district.
