CALDWELL, N.J. (1010 WINS) — An Essex County middle school student who last week scrawled antisemitic graffiti inside a school bathroom and has levied a separate threat against the school will not be returning for the rest of the school year, a district official said.
The student's removal from Grover Cleveland Middle School in Caldwell was confirmed by Caldwell-West Caldwell Superintendent Christopher Conklin in an email to NJ Advance on Monday.
He declined to say whether the student, whose identity is being withheld, is facing charges for either incident.
Conklin referred the outlet's questions to police, but Police Chief James Bongiorno did not immediately respond to their request for comment.
Principal John Bertello said in an email to parents that he made "claims of a threat to the school on June 13" and that the threat was reported to police and has since been "addressed."
The graffiti, which was identified as swastikas by a student's family member, was found last Thursday inside the boys' bathroom and removed by the school’s custodial staff, school officials said.
"We share the community’s outrage and condemn this unacceptable and intolerant behavior," Conklin and Bertello wrote in a letter to the school district community.
In a statement released Sunday, the Caldwell Police Department said it "was made aware of the incident reported to the parents of the [middle school] on Friday and [they] are actively investigating the matter."
The department said it will continue to have police officers at the school "in an effort to be proactive as we always have extra vigilance in and around all of our schools."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said there was no public safety risk and that no charges had been filed as of Monday afternoon.
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