Swastika drawn in Mass. school prompts warning about increase in hate speech

Administrators at Uxbridge High School found a swastika drawn in pencil in the girl’s bathroom Wednesday afternoon, prompting a warning from administrators about “the rise in incidents of hate speech” across the nation.

A joint statement sent by Interim Superintendent Karen Dwyer and Principal Michael Rubin on Feb. 5 said the small symbol was found after school had closed for the day and they did not know how long it had been there.

“The rise in incidents of hate speech, anti-Semitism, and bigotry across our nation in recent years presents growing challenges, and our community is not immune,” the statement said. “We have a responsibility to educate our students about the weight these symbols carry and the real harm they cause to members of our school community.”

The incident is “particularly troubling” since students are currently reading “Night” by writer and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in their English classes, according to the statement. 

“Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident – we have previously addressed other forms of racial slurs and discriminatory vandalism this academic year, in a variety of different forms,” Dwyer and Rubin wrote.

In an interview with Boston.com, Rubin clarified that they have not seen an increase in such incidents compared to previous years.

“When students use racial slurs, sometimes they’re not even aware of the impact of what they’re saying, particularly with some of our younger students,” Rubin said. “I don’t necessarily think there’s any common thread.”

Still, with a rise of hate speech and anti-Semitism in the U.S., school officials have “a responsibility” to inform students about the meaning behind certain words and symbols and “real harm” they can cause, administrators said in the statement.

Rubin said the curriculum at Uxbridge High School, which teaches 600 students grades eight through 12, includes topics covering bigotry and bias, and its counselors educate students about “their place within a broader society.” 

“We’re not the type of place, to be honest, that reacts by bringing everybody into a giant assembly, or making these widespread announcements,” Rubin said. “We tend to take things more on a more microscopic, class-by-class level and let our professionals do what they do best.”

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