EMERSON, N.J.—Police are investigating after derogatory, threatening, and racist language, including a swastika, were found Monday morning, May 20, in a classroom at Emerson Jr./Sr. High School.
According to Superintendent Brian P. Gatens in a letter to parents, the threatening language did not involve any specific mention of violence or weapons, nor did it target the entire school.
He added the district takes a zero-tolerance approach to such incidents and noted the behavior “tarnishes the reputations of the more than 1,000 Emerson students who make good choices every day.”
“This event opens the door for you to have important conversations with your children about the expectations that you set at home for how others should be treated,” he said.
Mayor Danielle DiPaola told Pascack Press on May 23, “I’ve spoken with the chief of police and I’m confident that our detectives will work together with the school administration to manage the situation. Anti-Semitism has no place in Emerson—never has and never will.”
This incident marks at least the ninth time in less than a year that such graffiti has been found in New Jersey schools, according to a published report.
In November 2018, swastikas and a slur against African Americans were found inside a restroom at Pascack Hills High School in Montvale.
A swastika was found on a third floor boys bathroom stall at George G. White Middle School on Tuesday, Dec. 4.
This March 19, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, formerly Bergen County Prosecutor, delivered the keynote address at Pascack Valley Regional High School District’s Unity in the Valley event.
Calling out recent acts of hate-based vandalism in New Jersey, including in local schools, Grewal said, “We must treat an act of hate against any one of our communities as an act of hate against all of our communities.”
He added, “We must also push back when the federal government fails to protect all of its residents or when it pursues half baked policies that do nothing to make us safer. It’s not just the federal government—we must also hold our local governments accountable.”
Meanwhile, Pascack Valley junior Rachel Cohen, whose opinion column in “The Smoke Signal” from this past November, “Actions speak louder than words,” about anti-Semitic graffiti at PV, has placed first out of 198 entries in the Opinion Writing category in Quill and Scroll’s Writing, Photo, and Multimedia Contest.
Cohen wrote, in part, “Anti-Semitism stems from the household and those who the perpetrators associate themselves with. No one is born full of hatred or judgmental tendencies. These ideas are developed over time, and sadly, they have never disappeared, even at PV.”
Borough Council President Gerald Falotico said in a statement May 22 that “hatred, intolerance and their symbols have no place in Emerson—or in any community.”
As the parent of Emerson High School students, he said, “I am appalled and deeply disappointed by the racist and anti-Semitic graffiti.”
He added, “As a former juvenile officer, I know firsthand how these types of incidents can create fear and anxiety for students, parents and educators alike. While I know that the vast majority of our student body rejects this type of hateful vandalism, it is critically important that we come together as a community to stand up against hate and discrimination whenever it occurs and work to prevent future incidents.”
Note: This story was updated May 23 to include the mayor’s statement.