WESTFIELD, NJ — A Westfield student is asking the community to once again stand up against hate after a swastika was found in one of the Westfield High School’s bathrooms last month.
Casey Isser provided his Student Representative report during the Jan. 23 Board of Education meeting.
“Two years ago when swastikas were found the community rallied together to stand up against anti-semitism and other forms of hate,” said Isser on Tuesday night. “Now again we need to send a message that this clear behavior is unacceptable in Westfield.”
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Westfield High School Principal Mary Asfendis previously sent out a letter, obtained by Tapinto, to the community addressing the swastika.
“There is no place for hatred or intolerance in our school,” she wrote. “This antisemitic symbol’s presence on our campus is an affront to the values of inclusivity and respect that we hold dear. We condemn this act in the strongest possible terms, and we are committed to finding those responsible and holding them accountable to the fullest extent of our Code of Conduct.”
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A series of swastikas were discovered etched into bathroom stalls in 2022 and 2021 prompting the school board to strengthen its code of conduct by increasing punishments for students who commit bias or hate offenses.
In addition, in March of 2021, a swastika was etched in a bathroom stall at the high school with a metal object. Read more: Westfield Police Investigating Swastikas At High School
Prior to that, Westfield Police had investigated a swastika at Tamaques Park, as well as swastikas in Westfield schools in 2018 and 2019.
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