Police and school officials are investigating after swastikas were drawn on a locker at Corona del Mar High School, a Newport-Mesa School District official said.
The school district was made aware of the hate symbols over the weekend and reported it to police, Newport-Mesa School District spokeswoman Annette Franco said.
“This behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our schools,” Franco said. “We are better than this.”
The district met with representatives from the Jewish Federation of Orange County this week, where they discussed the campus climate and the organization’s student-to-student program, said Joey Good, a federation spokesman. Students in the program who may be unfamiliar with Judaism can learn from Jewish teen ambassadors.
“Too often, antisemitic statements on high school campuses go unheard. But when hateful statements are made as visible as a swastika on a school locker, we need to recognize that schools must do more to ensure the safety of Jewish students,” Erik Ludwig, President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Orange County said in a statement.
Franco said the vandalism and an increase in digital hate speech prompted Corona del Mar Middle/High School officials to form an interfaith council made up of students, parents, community members, and local religious leaders to discuss what happened, as well as educate and encourage productive dialogue around culturally sensitive issues.
“This is especially important as we are seeing an increase in hate speech and violence online and in social media due to recent events overseas,” she said.
The council was expected to meet this week, she said. Police have not returned a reporter’s calls about the incident, and the district did not respond to additional requests for comment.
In 2019, students, parents, and community members — including a Holocaust survivor, expressed shock and outrage during a meeting with district and Newport Harbor High School administrators after a photo taken at an off-campus party showed several students flashing a Nazi salute as they surrounded a swastika formed by red plastic cups.
According to administrators, the off-campus party involved students from Newport Harbor, Estancia, Costa Mesa, and Corona del Mar high schools.
