CHESTERFIELD (KMOX) - The superintendent of Parkway School District announced a non-white student was responsible for the racist graffiti written in a bathroom at Parkway North High School last week.
"The student responsible is not white, however this does not diminish the hurt it caused or the negative impact it has had on our entire community," stated a letter from Superintendent Keith Marty. "Our student discipline policy is clear. Regardless of the reason or the individual responsible, these acts are a significant violation of multiple codes of conduct outlined in our policies. The student is facing severe disciplinary consequences and referral to law enforcement for investigation. Parkway will continue to hold students responsible for any behavior that threatens or degrades others in our school community."
He says an investigation led to a single student, who admitted to writing the messages.
The graffiti was found inside a boys bathroom at the high school on Wednesday, with photos and videos of the scene shared on social media. One mirror had the n-word written on it and a wall stated "HOPE ALL BLACK PEOPLE DIE." That same day, there was also some graffiti written in the bathroom of Parkway North High School, but Marty says that investigation is still ongoing.
District spokeswoman Cathy Kelly said officials were close to finding the person who wrote the graffiti at Parkway North. School officials do not believe the two incidents are related.
A group of about 1,000 students, teachers and staff walked out of class at Parkway Central on Thursday morning in protest.
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It's not the first instance of racist messaging found inside the school. In 2019, students from the school were part of a racially-charged video with threats against Black people and chants of "slavery, slavery, slavery." In 2017, there were more racist messages written inside a bathroom (it was determined those were written by a Black student).
The letter from Marty continues:
"We remain hurt by the actions of the student, as it does not represent the values of our community. We cannot presume the reasons a student would do this and it will be important to understand why this happened as we move forward.
"Last week was difficult for many of our students and staff. We also saw many positive outcomes. I want to acknowledge the actions our students took as a result of these incidents. Students proactively led walkouts at multiple Parkway high schools and in these moments, many students shared personal experiences of racism throughout their lives and at school. Their voice was a clear indication that more work is needed to ensure our school cultures and communities are safe for each student regardless of their race. I want to tell the thousands of students who participated on behalf of themselves and their fellow classmates: I am proud of you for supporting one another and we heard you loud and clear."
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