Student Admits to Writing Racist Message in High School Bathroom

Officials at Parkway Central High School said a student has confessed to writing a racial slur and the phrase ‘White Lives Matter’ on a mirror inside a campus bathroom.

In an email to the ‘PCH Community,’ Principal Timothy McCarthy said the student’s actions violated the school discipline code and that the guilty party would be punished. The Parkway School District would only identify the student as “non-white,” but stressed that “does not diminish the hurt it caused or the negative impact it has had on our community.”

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You can read a Principal McCarthy’s letter in its entirety below:

This email is a follow up to last week’s communication regarding a racially charged message written on a bathroom mirror at school (I shared this message, as well, with students and staff at the end of Academic Lab today via the PA). Our investigation into this incident led to a Central High student admitting to writing the message. The actions of this student are a violation of our discipline code and the student will be held accountable within the parameters of the district’s discipline policy.

In the days and weeks ahead, we will continue our work of supporting the PCH community, especially our students. This incident caused significant harm to and within our school community by provoking feelings of hurt and distrust. The use of the N-word, in the context of the message on the bathroom mirror, provoked feelings of hate, not love. As I stated last week, actions and speech which degrade an individual’s human dignity have no place in school; they have no place at Central High. As we move forward, our efforts will be focused on repairing the harm we have experienced while deepening our sense of community. {snip}

The slur was discovered on the bathroom mirror on Wednesday, November 15. It was not immediately known if the illicit graffiti was drawn in a boys or girls restroom.