Racist graffiti targets Wayland school superintendent
WAYLAND - Students and staff of Wayland High School were greeted with a racist statement as they pulled into school Wednesday morning.
The statement equated Wayland Superintendent Dr. Omar Easy with a racial slur and was spray painted on the side of the Wayland Community Pool building that sits just feet away from the high school's campus.
The Wayland Police Department said it received a call around 7:30 am Wednesday for graffiti with a racist message directed at a school staff member. WBZ-TV obtained pictures showing the graffiti, followed by sheets of paper being taped over it to shield people from seeing it. By 10 Wednesday morning, the graffiti had been painted over.
"It has happened before, but this is the peak," said former Wayland HS student Ben Clifford. "I think it's really sad that people think that way in Wayland and I don't know how the administration is going to go about doing that."
Wayland School Committee Chair Chris Ryan released this statement reading in part: "I denounce this clear and blatant act of racism. This incident goes against the core values of our community, and it undermines our continuing work in building an inclusive environment for each and every person in the community."
Acting Police Chief Ed Burman said in a statement:
"We do not tolerate any acts of hate in Wayland, and we want to reassure our community that we are taking this incident very seriously. The person or people found responsible for this hateful message will be held accountable."
Dr. Omar Easy is a former NFL player turned education leader. Easy is new to his role with Wayland Schools and joined a rarified group of superintendents in Massachusetts who are people of color.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reported that out of its 273 Superintendents, 21 are people of color, and of that amount, 8 are Black.
Peggy Shukur is with the Anti-Defamation League of New England and said, "This is usually done with the intention to spread fear and intimidation to those targeted. When you look at it, it is not something that just targets the individual named in it but really everyone who is a member of that marginalized community. And that is something really important to keep in mind."
We reached out to Dr. Easy for this report but did not hear back.
The Wayland Police Department is investigating.