Authorities are currently looking into an incident involving the discovery of Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian graffiti on the wall of Walt Whitman High School, located in Bethesda, Maryland.
The offensive messages, which featured hate-filled language targeting both Muslim and Palestinian groups, were found early on a Friday morning.
In a communication sent home to the school community, Principal Gregory Miller described the graffiti as “deeply offensive” and stated that such “hate speech is utterly unacceptable, harmful, and will not be tolerated at Walt Whitman High School or in any schools throughout Montgomery County.”
Miller also indicated that school officials are collaborating with police to examine security footage and engage with students about the situation.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich expressed in a statement that this hateful act “does not represent our values as a County and will not be accepted,” and he confirmed that the county police are coordinating with the school system to “identify those responsible.”
At-Large Council member Will Jawando remarked in a social media post that the graffiti stands as a “direct threat to the safety and well-being of our students.”
“As a parent of students in Montgomery County Public Schools and as the Chair of the Education and Culture Committee, I consider it unacceptable for any child to enter a learning environment and face calls for the destruction of their people or their beliefs,” Jawando stated.
He mentioned that his team is actively collaborating with MCPS and local law enforcement to monitor the situation closely.
“We all share the responsibility in Montgomery County to ensure that hatred finds no acceptance in our community,” added Council member Andrew Friedson in a post.
The offensive graffiti was quickly covered up on the same Friday morning it was discovered.
This is not the first instance of hate speech being discovered at the Bethesda high school. Back in 2022, antisemitic graffiti was spray-painted on the school’s entrance sign.
Any individuals with information regarding this incident are encouraged to reach out to the school administration, contact the police non-emergency line at 301-279-8000, or provide tips anonymously through the Maryland Safe Schools Tip-Line at 1-833-632-7233.
