District officials have found a custodian responsible for the racist graffiti found last week at Francis Howell High School, according to an email sent to families on Wednesday.
The investigation was conducted in partnership with the St. Charles County Police Department, the email states.
The custodian was immediately placed on leave, arrested and charged with harassment motivated by discrimination and property damage, according to interim Superintendent Mark Delaney.
The district did not provide additional information.
“I want to express my apologies for this incident and the effect it has had on students, fellow employees at Francis Howell High School, and the broader Francis Howell community,” Delaney wrote in the email. “All students and staff deserve to feel safe and welcome at school.”
A student discovered the graffiti scrawled across bathroom stalls and metal beams on Sept. 24 and immediately reported it to the administration.
The graffiti contained racial slurs and sexually violent language targeting African Americans, according to images shared on Facebook by the student’s mother, Meagan Martin Mahaney.
Francis Howell High School notified families and told them an investigation had begun in an email sent the next day.
The graffiti elicited a condemnation from the St. Charles County chapter of the NAACP and the political action committee Francis Howell Forward. Both groups stated that it was a part of a trend at the district’s schools.
“We demand real change in actions, not just statements,” NAACP President Zebrina Looney said in a statement. “Empty words do nothing to protect our children. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with our students, parents and allies until real reform is implemented.”
Delaney reiterated in his statement that “racism, hate, and violence have no place in our schools or communities and will not be tolerated.”
