Swastikas

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

Over the holiday weekend, somebody carved two very large swastikas into the handball courts at Emma's school.

She told me about them yesterday. When I dropped her off at school today, I asked her to show them to me. She did. I was surprised that they hadn't been cleaned up because the other damage had been cleaned up.

I complained to the front office and they asked me to show them the swastikas, so I did.

Emma told me that I complain too much.

[mrkelley23]

Ye cats! What other damage had been done?

Is it possible that the swastikas were so large that the cleaners didn't realize what they were?

If I were an administrator and you had brought this to my attention, I would have bowed and scraped, thanking you for the opportunity to get rid of them before the news media showed up. After I reported it to the police, of course.

Have we learned nothing from Jena?

[tlynn78]

Did they have an excuse for cleaning up the 'other damage' and not the swastikas? Idiots.


t.

[Appa23]

Over the holiday weekend, somebody carved two very large swastikas into the handball courts at Emma's school.

She told me about them yesterday. When I dropped her off at school today, I asked her to show them to me. She did. I was surprised that they hadn't been cleaned up because the other damage had been cleaned up.

I complained to the front office and they asked me to show them the swastikas, so I did.

Emma told me that I complain too much.

What was the other damage that was cleaned up? I can imagine that it is much harder to remedy carved graffiti than normal vandalism.

I also was amazed that the school would have a handball court, let alone more than one..

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I called my friend who is the school librarian. She wasn't aware of the swastikas (and she is Jewish) but most of the vandalism was centered on the library. Somebody broke a window and tossed the library. They left the computers and didn't steal any of the money she had sitting around from candy sales after school.

She checked on the swastikas at lunch time and they are still there. She said that the janitor had a hard time cleaning up everything that was broken in addition to his regular duties, so it may take a couple of days for the swastikas to be cleaned up.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I also was amazed that the school would have a handball court, let alone more than one..

They are sea containers used for storage with wood on the sides so that balls can be bounced against them.

[peacock2121]

Do you think that Emma really thinks you complain too much?

Do you think you do?

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

An update:

The swastikas were not removed until Wednesday.

Somebody from the District happened to be on campus looking at the other damage and the swastikas were mentioned by our librarian. He said that the swastikas should have been reported immediately to the district by the school staff.

In the meantime, the librarian called the Anti Defamation League, who asked for pictures. They mentioned that it would be a good idea for the presence of swastikas to be included in the police report so that crimes of this nature can be tracked.

Today our librarian talked to the principal. (We were both concerned about the fact that it took so long for the swastikas to be removed.) the principal didn't know about the swastikas because the school secretary never told her. She agreed to add the swastikas to the police report and will be "talking to" her janitorial staff at a meeting today to let them know that the district needs to be called immediately to report this type of vandalism. She will also let them know that this type of vandalism should be cleaned up immediately.

Emma usually helps the librarian check out books at recess and lunch. The librarian is going to talk to her and let her know that she is proud of her for telling me. She is also going to let Emma know that she can always talk to her about this type of thing if she wants to instead of me, because she can report things right away.

[mrkelley23]

I am glad someone (however belatedly) recognized the importance of this.

I would be very surprised if it was actually the school secretary failing to inform the principal -- I think someone's being made a scapegoat.

[MarleysGh0st]

the principal didn't know about the swastikas because the school secretary never told her.

So the school was vandalized and the principal never personally inspected the damage?

Cheers for your librarian!

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I am glad someone (however belatedly) recognized the importance of this.

I would be very surprised if it was actually the school secretary failing to inform the principal -- I think someone's being made a scapegoat.

Our secretary "runs the school." I think that she handles many things that she never tells the principal about.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

the principal didn't know about the swastikas because the school secretary never told her.

So the school was vandalized and the principal never personally inspected the damage?

Cheers for your librarian!

The swastikas were away from the other damage.

I love our librarian, she has done so much for our school and most of the parents don't realize it. When Maddie started at the school, the library looked like it belonged in the 1960's. Our librarian was the motivation to get it computerized and for more interesting books to be included.

Emma has been going to the library since she was three. The first year we came back to Califorinia, I spent three hours a week in the library helping to bar code and computerize the books and Emma came with me and "helped." She was one of the few kids who was allowed to use the computer to help check out books before she was a sixth grader.