A racist message discovered in a washroom at Warren Township High School’s Almond Campus Wednesday led to a student sit-in and open discussion with the principal Thursday.
The message, “White’s only” (sic), was found on a bathroom stall door in a female washroom at the Almond Campus Wednesday afternoon, District Superintendent John Ahlgrim said Thursday.
Ahlgrim said that as of late Thursday afternoon, officials do not know who wrote the graffiti, and that the incident is being investigated by the district’s deans and the Gurnee Police Department.
He said later Thursday that three “copycat” messages also were found scrawled on bathroom stalls at the district’s O’Plaine campus. That graffiti also was removed and is being investigated by police, he said in an email to parents.
“We’re obviously saddened and upset,” Ahlgrim said.
In keeping with district protocol, Ahlgrim said the graffiti was photographed, and then immediately removed. It was discovered by a student who reported it to a teacher, but before it could be addressed by the school, someone had photographed it and the image was spread on social media.
Parents were informed of the incident through a letter the superintendent sent out by email Thursday morning. Ahlgrim said a small number of students were temporarily pulled from the school by their parents as a result of the incident.
Some students, especially those who organized an impromptu hallway sit-in outside the school’s library after fifth period Thursday, were understandably upset, Ahlgrim said.
“There were some who were very concerned,” he said. Without specifically mentioning Tuesday’s presidential election, Ahlgrim said concerns were probably heightened, “because it has been an emotional week.”
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The relatively small group of students who initiated the sit-in were eventually joined by about 150 to 200 students, Ahlgrim said, at which point Almond Campus Principal Patrick Keeley addressed the students and allowed them to voice their concerns over the next period.
Keeley has assured and reminded students and staff that “hateful, racial, or insensitive speech will never be tolerated at Warren, and that our administrative team and student services are available for students to discuss other appropriate plans to address their concerns,” Ahlgrim wrote in the message to district parents.
The superintendent said 10 to 20 students had stopped in to talk with counselors since the incident was revealed.
Ahlgrim said the school plans to follow up with students and parents to further discuss concerns.
The campus has about 2,100 students, of which approximately 65 percent are white, 30 percent are Hispanic and 10 percent are African-American, he said. In the letter to parents, Ahlgrim said one of the “belief statements” in the district’s Strategic Plan is that, “We maximize the growth and achievement of our students when we unleash the power of our inclusive and diverse culture.”
“We will continue to be diligent in our efforts to make sure all students and staff feel supported at Warren Township High School, and we intend to be stronger to our commitment to our diversity as a result,” Ahlgrim said.
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