Swastika Found At Salem High School: 'It's Very Concerning'

SALEM, MA —As Salem police investigate a swastika found at Salem High School on Tuesday afternoon, Superintendent of Schools Steve Zrike said the "hate the anti-Semitism" it symbolizes is a reminder of how much work the city and the district still must do to ensure it is an inclusive community.

"It's very concerning," Zrike said during his weekly Facebook Live forum on Wednesday. "We do know what the swastika symbolizes — the hate and the anti-Semitism, which is obviously counter to our values as an organization.

"The work is long and hard, but as a district and as a community we still have more work to do to be inclusive. We will continue to condemn these acts that target and marginalize certain groups of people."

Zrike said the police were immediately notified and that they came down and recorded the image before the swastika was removed. A notice was sent out to the Salem High community on Wednesday of what was found.

Zrike said the district is prepared to confront any similar incidents that occur.

"We will call them out," he said. "There's no hiding. We will be sharing these incidents because it's important that we continue to realize we have work to do as a city, as a school system and as a society.

"It's just a reminder of the hard work, and the more extensive work, we have to do as an organization."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)