MATHEWS COUNTY, Va. — Administrators with Mathews County Public Schools say an investigation is underway after a “racist, threatening statement” was found etched into a bathroom wall at the high school.
Edith Turner, president of the Mathews branch of the NAACP, said Wednesday, Jan. 10, she received a photo of the graffiti inside Mathews High School.
“In the stall, in one of the boy’s bathrooms was written ‘Kill and the N-word’ and it was quite large. It wasn’t a small etching," Turner said.
One week later on Tuesday, Jan. 16, Superintendent Dr. David Daniel made a statement on Facebook regarding the incident.
Daniel wrote in part, “This unspeakable act has fractured the safety of our students and will not be tolerated. We will be working with our student leadership, faculty & staff, and community organizations to push back against racism."
The incident has some community members asking how this could happen.
“That really disappoints me," said Mathews County resident Cindy Roman. "I thought that our county was above that...The way our society is right now, there’s just no room for that kind of behavior.”
Turner said she fears for the students and teachers at Mathews High.
“To say in a written message that you want to kill someone, you know that to me makes me fear for anybody in the high school," she said.
The Sheriff's Office told 13News Now that their office learned of the incident shortly after it happened. The Sheriff's Office said they're working hand-in-hand with the school board to investigate.
Daniel said counseling services are available to any student in the division.
"The safety of our students remains our top priority. Counselor services are available to any student in our division who may feel unsafe or have concerns stemming from this heinous act in our school," he wrote.
Mathews County Public Schools also created an anonymous tip line in hopes that someone will come forward. You can find the tip line by clicking here.
13News Now reached out to the members of the Mathews County School Board and Daniel for an interview. School Board Chairman Dr. Marianne Gibbs referred us to Daniel's statement on Facebook. We've yet to hear back from Daniel.
Daniel's full statement can be found here.