The swastikas are becoming a real issue at RMHS. On February 8th, another swastika was found in the lower cubby of a desk. Mr. Bakr sent out an email the next day. The email reports that the school administration and Reading Public Schools are looking into it and that School Resource Officer Lewis and Superintendent Doherty were told about it.
But are they?
These swastikas have been found around Reading since May of last year. That’s nine months. It appears that there hasn’t been any real progress. No one knows who has done it. No one knows why. It’s complicated.
From the perspective of students, it seems like nothing is being done. There have been swastikas at Coolidge, Reading Memorial High School, and the public library.
In late May of last year, Chief Segalla released a statement saying, “if we ignore hate, it grows.” He also said that the average teenager is very unlikely to know the hate and violence associated with the symbol.
Recently, Dr. Ornstein, a Holocaust survivor, spoke at Coolidge, Parker, Reading Memorial High School, and the Reading Embraces Diversity event held in November. With four visits from her under our town’s belt, does anything seem to be changing? And what can we do to change things?
This racist hate needs to be stopped. It has upset so many students. It is truly unfortunate that such tragic events in the past are being disregarded now and accepted as a joke or a “meme.” As a Jewish student at RMHS, it feels like an attack on me and my friends who are Jewish. It’s upsetting, because there could be progress. Teachers talk about it, but it is still happening. There could and should be more conversations between leaders at our school and the student body, not only to educate students on the true meaning and impact these swastika drawings have, but to stop the problem from continuing.
At her visit to Coolidge in June of 2017, that I had the honor of being at, Dr. Ornstein said that she has hope for humans, and that she believes that nothing as bad as the Holocaust will happen again. At the Reading Embraces Diversity event, she said that we are on the right path.
I really hope that we are, and that this problem gets nipped in the bud before it gets any worse.