Police investigating racist graffiti at Perrysburg High School

PERRYSBURG, Ohio (WTVG) - Perrysburg Police and school officials are investigating racist graffiti found at Perrysburg High School.

Photos show a toilet with racist and explicit hate speech written on the seat. The language is so graphic 13abc will not repeat it and has edited the image to blur some of the words.

In a statement, Perrysburg Superintendent Tom Hosler said there is no tolerance for this behavior. He said the district will work to confront hate whenever and wherever it happens.

Officials have not identified a suspect at this time, but Hosler said cameras at the school may reveal who is responsible for the hate speech.

“We have cameras outside the restrooms, so we have a window of time when because we do monitor the restrooms we do go in we know when it wasn’t there we know when it was reported,” Hosler said. “So during that window we do access cameras and trying to build up a case to look at people who are coming in and out and pinpoint and questioning that’s part of the investigation which is ongoing.”

If officials are able to identify who is responsible for the hateful message, they may not be able to release that information.

“We value all students and their rights throughout the process,” Hosler wrote in a statement. “Many matters have confidential aspects that prevent us from sharing details, which can be frustrating, understandably. School districts are very limited with what we can share with the public. We cannot disclose most student information, including discipline, per the “Family Educational Right to Privacy Act” (FERPA), a federal privacy law. Also, once the police are involved, we cannot typically comment further than the police’s public statement when there is an ongoing investigation.”

The racist message was written in a school where 80% of the student body is white, according to the superintendent.

Dr. Tawiona Brown told 13abc that her son, a student at Perrysburg High School, found the message. She said her son is tired of being quiet.

“It’s very difficult with my son to have to pick up the pieces all the time, or to have to take the highroad all the time,” Brown said. “And not to believe that there’s any type of discourse or any type of punishment for individuals that are doing these things. He’s dealt with this since his freshman year of school.”

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