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One-Inch Swastika Discovered At Suburban Chicago High School

A small sketch of a swastika was discovered on a window ledge in the lobby of a suburban Chicago high school and later removed, according to a Monday letter sent by the school’s superintendent.

A parent noticed the drawing at Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, Illinois and alerted a security staff member, who reported it to the buildings and grounds staff, according to a follow-up statement issued by the school on Tuesday.

Staff removed the “deeply offensive symbol of oppression and genocide,” school superintendent Dr. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams wrote in the Monday letter.

Even though there was a security camera nearby, the lobby is often crowded and the swastika was too small — roughly one inch — to discern when it was drawn, according to the Tuesday statement.

“Let us be clear: Hate has no place at Oak Park and River Forest High School,” Pruitt-Adams wrote in the letter. “We, as a school community, stand for respect and inclusion.”

Contact Erica Snow at [email protected] or on Twitter @ericasnoww.

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