PARKLAND, FLA. (WSVN) - School staff at Westglades Middle School in Parkland cleaned up at image of a swastika as soon as they found it, but not before word got out to parents.
“It’s horrific,” said Sharon Goldin, a parent.
“I’m kind of disgusted. I wish that kids would be a little nicer to each other,” said Nicole Booth, a parent
Broward County parents are upset after staff found the hateful symbol at a school bathroom.
“That’s awful. It’s ridiculous,” said Christine Lada.
The image circulated among parents, which became the talk of the afternoon pick up line, Friday.
“I saw on Facebook today, and I was like ‘Oh, my God’,” said Denisse Tenore. “Thankfully, my daughter didn’t see it.”
“I think there should be monitoring of the restrooms throughout the day,” said Goldin.
Parkland Talk reported that a sixth grade student found the image.
Broward County Schools told 7News they immediately cleaned up the image and filed a report with the Broward Sheriff’s Office school resource deputy.
This comes as the Anti-Defamation League said antisemitic vandalism is on the rise across Florida.
In 2021, there were 47 cases compared to 30 the previous year. In 2019, there were 24 cases of antisemitism reported.
The district also put a statement that read, “Broward County Public Schools does not tolerate displays of bigotry and hate and is committed to educating students about the profound impact of bias.”
Parents hope that this moment becomes a teachable moment.
“I think they’re lacking a lot of knowledge,” said Andrew Foerster.
“Hopefully, we do something, so we can all learn from this,” said Tenore.
The district said when they find out who did this, that person or persons will face disciplinary action.
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