Swastikas, racist graffiti found at Cambridge Rindge and Latin

Officials are attempting to determine who is responsible for swastikas and other hate speech graffiti found in bathrooms at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.

The graffiti were found in three of the high school’s bathrooms on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, according to a letter Principal Damon Smith sent to parents and students.

The school has involved Cambridge Police and the Office of Safety and Security in its investigation and Smith said the school would take disciplinary and legal action if it can determine who is responsible for the graffiti.

“The symbol and hateful language violate our core values, and there is no place for them in our community. Hate will not be accepted in our school. Despite these incidents, we will continue to work and develop efforts to make CRLS a more inclusive community for all students,” Smith said in the letter.

Superintendent KenSalim said the incidents were reported on the state attorney general’s hate crime hotline, which was set up the week after the election in response to reports of post-election hate crimes and harassment.

Support is available to students and staff who want to talk about the incident, Salim said.

“Students at the high school engaged in discussions about the incident with the goal of clarifying facts and talking about the next steps for supporting each other and the school community,” he said in a statement.

In his letter, Smith said he was “deeply saddened” to find the symbols and hateful speech at Cambridge Rindge and Latin.

“I am sorry that students and staff may have seen the symbol and language in our school. It does not represent who we are,” he said.