SACRAMENTO, Calif — Update: On March 29, the Sacramento Sheriff's Office said it identified two Black students as writing the slur on the hallway. It was also clarified that the incident was in a school hallway, not a bathroom as previously reported
Original Story:
Deputies with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office say someone wrote the "N-word" on a bathroom stall in pencil at Rosemont High School. The racial slur was found on Tuesday, near the end of the school day.
According to Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), school administrators worked quickly to remove the racial slur. They also reviewed security footage of the second-floor hallway, near the bathroom, to help provide evidence to law enforcement.
"Sac City Unified does not take any incident of racism lightly, and that is why we are widely sharing that another act of disgraceful racist graffiti has taken place in our schools," said Jorge A. Aguilar, superintendent of the Sacramento City Unified School District. "As a community, we need to loudly condemn this hateful act. Racist incidents will not be tolerated in our schools. We will work to provide the support needed for our students and staff experiencing trauma from this incident as soon as possible."
According to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, school administrators reported the incident to law enforcement on Wednesday. Deputies are investigating the case as misdemeanor vandalism. Sacramento City Unified plans on taking "the appropriate disciplinary action against anyone found to be involved."
"The Board of Education is unified and committed to providing a safe and anti-racist learning environment for our students," said Board President Christina Pritchett with the Sacramento City Unified School District. "We fully denounce all racist behavior, and will continue to do whatever we can to support our African-American community members who need to feel welcomed and loved at our schools."
Attorney Mark T. Harris is the Race and Equity Liaison at Sacramento City Unified. Harris was appointed to the position in January to help the district address racism and improve on equity and inclusion, social justice, and civil rights. He also works with the district to enhance confidence in the collective ongoing investigations of allegations of racist conduct.
"Anytime you use the 'N-word,' in my opinion, it's hate speech," Harris said. "In this situation, the context of the use of the word is very clear, very explicit. There was threatening language associated with the use of the 'N-word.' I would call it hate speech."
As a Black community activist, Rashid Sidque is concerned about a racial slur being found on the school campus. Sidque is encouraging SCUSD to work with more Black community members and community-based organizations to help protect Black students and all diverse communities. He also wants more education for students, staff, and district leaders on race-related matters.
"It is very disturbing," said Sidque. "Is the district really educated on race relations? It may not be a race issue. But, it may be an education issue. They may need to be educated on what that word means and what the significance of using that word means to African American people."
Sacramento City Unified continues to face race-related incidents. In February 2022, district leaders say, a student wrote the word 'colored' above a water fountain at McClatchy High School.
In March 2022, SCUSD reported that two 14-year old high school students were responsible for spray-painting racial slurs and images, including the 'N-word,' 'KKK,' and 'swastikas,' on the campus of Abraham Lincoln Elementary. It happened in February, during President's Day weekend.
SCUSD is also still investigating after someone spray-painted the 'N-word' five times at West Campus High School in November 2021.
In another case, SCUSD suspended, with plans to terminate, a middle school Spanish teacher who used the 'N-word' in a class with 7th graders during a lecture. The incident happened at Kit Carson International Academy in June 2021.
"The problem is deeper than just one incident," Sidque said. "The school board doesn't have all the answers. The teachers don't have all the answers. The community doesn't have all the answers. But, together we can get to that answer."