Recordpub.com - Racial slurs painted on school walls at Roosevelt High School

By Dave OBrien
Record-Courier staff writer
Graffiti, including racial slurs and Confederate flags, was spray painted on walls inside Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent overnight.
The damage was discovered by a school employee Thursday morning. School administrators and the Kent Police Department are investigating.
According to school officials, an unknown subject or subjects broke into the school late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning without tripping any alarms. Graffiti, including racial slurs and Confederate flags, were spray painted on walls leading from the cafeteria toward the schools career education wing, according to Superintendent Marc Crail. The damaged was discovered Thursday morning by the schools head cook.
Principal Roger Sidoti sent a message to the parents on the schools parent broadcast system shortly before 11:30 a.m. Thursday alerting them to the incident. According to his message, a computer was stolen and "racially-sensitive" messages, along with a Confederate flag, were sprayed on school walls.
Crail said the computer was a laptop that was the personal property of a teacher and not school property. He said he did not know why the schools alarm system was not tripped during the break-in.
"Normally (a burglars) presence would have tripped an alarm," he said. "But the alarm didnt go off. The folks from the alarm company are looking into that, whether it was a mechanical problem or the alarm was not set properly. Were confident that problem has been rectified."
The incident was discovered on a day when students were taking the Ohio Graduation Test. Following the testing period, Sidoti held an assembly to reassure students there is no threat to safety.
Crail, who said he believes the incident is the first break-in at the high school in his 14 years with the district, said it is "a possibility" the perpetrators are students.
"Justice will be done with the guilty parties," he said. "In the not-too-distant future well know who the perpetrators are."
Kent police Lt. Ray Stein said the department is following up on some leads.
"Were looking at some information that has come across to us, and following up on that information," he said, asking anyone with additional information regarding the incident to call Kent police at (330) 673-7732.
A previous incident involving the display of a Confederate flag by a student in the past several days "was dealt with," according to Crail.
"That student was disciplined. We dont know whether this is related," he said.
Crail said one good thing came out of the incident: After notifying authorities, students, teachers and staff grabbed cleaning materials and wiped down the walls.
"It really reflected that even though an idiot might do something like this, the vast majority of the students at Roosevelt, teachers and so on really jumped in to do a great job and worked together," he said.
"Students have been calm and cooperative, and Im really proud (of them) during what could have been a very volatile situation."