More Racist Incidents Reported At Multiple Fairfield Schools

FAIRFIELD, CT — Racism continues to be a source of concern within the Fairfield school district community after racist interactions and graffiti occurred at multiple schools in recent weeks, according to district officials.

The incidents were mentioned Monday during an update from the town’s Racial Equity and Justice Task Force before the Board of Selectmen. Task force member Karen Lynch referenced graffiti and slurs being used at Tomlinson Middle School, Burr Elementary School and Sherman Elementary School, in addition to incidents in May involving Fairfield Warde and Fairfield Ludlowe high school students.

“We’ve heard stories and seen very recently lots of accounts of graffiti in schools, racial slurs being used between students, kind of victimizing students of color,” Lynch said. “Parents have challenged the way those situations are treated with administration. Education’s a hot topic, if you will, in terms of this space for us.”

In late May, racist graffiti in a bathroom at Tomlinson was reported by students, according to a message to parents from Principal Anthony Formato, who said the vandalism was “foolish and impulsive,” “done for shock value,” and did not target a specific person.

Just days later, racist language was used at Tomlinson, Formato said. In both cases, the parties involved faced consequences and were held accountable, he said.

“We know that sometimes middle schoolers make rash and irresponsible choices,” Formato said in one of several messages sent to parents about the incidents.

“We also know that in this moment race and racism are polarizing, and often uncomfortable, topics that need to be handled in a developmentally appropriate way. We are learning together how to best communicate and support the Tomlinson community when we learn of racist language or acts.”

Tomlinson leaders planned to respond to the incidents by listening to student voices and teaching students about the legacy of racism, how to define microaggressions and what constitutes unacceptable language, according to Formato.

A few weeks after the incidents at Tomlinson, racist graffiti was found on the grounds of Burr Elementary School, according to Principal Jason Bluestein, who said in a message to parents there was no evidence the vandalism was committed by a Burr student.

Both Formato and Bluestein provided parents with links to resources on how to talk to children about race and racism.

The incident at Sherman Elementary School involved two very young students who did not understand the meaning or implications of the language they used, according to district officials.

The most recent cases of racism in Fairfield schools are not the first.

In early May, a 16-year-old Warde student was arrested and charged after posting a photo of a classmate on Snapchat, overlaid with text that included a racial slur. The following weekend, the brother of the victim in the Warde incident was called a racial slur in a verbal attack involving Ludlowe students, according to the victims’ mother. Police were contacted to investigate the second incident.

In January, graffiti was found on the grounds of McKinley Elementary School that referred to the “United States of China” and “Biden For Socialism.”

“We do not believe these incidents have increased in frequency; they are simply being reported more often,” Director of Communications Andrea Clark said in an email.

“As a district, we are working to be more transparent and communicate more openly with our families and the community when they do occur. We want to be absolutely clear that we stand against racist language and acts of racism. We need to label such incidents for what they are and use them as teachable moments in developmentally appropriate ways.”