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Stamford, CT

Mayor, Superintendent of Schools, BOE statement: Stamford Public School students discovering swastikas drawn on the tennis courts

Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons releases statement in partnership with Superintendent Dr. Lucero and Board of Education President Jackie Heftman, in response to a group of Stamford Public School students discovering swastikas drawn on the tennis courts on the AITE campus.

Dear SPS Families, Teachers, and Staff:

Earlier today, a group of Stamford Public Schools students discovered swastikas drawn on the tennis courts on the AITE campus. The students immediately reported these antisemitic symbols of hate to AITE administrators, who acted swiftly to alert the Stamford Police Department, District leadership, and the Mayor’s Office. We unequivocally denounce this abhorrent antisemitic act and we reached out personally to members of the Jewish faith community in Stamford to inform them of this incident. 

This is the second time that swastikas have been discovered on the AITE campus since Hamas’s terrorist attack against Israel on October 7. As all Stamford Public Schools campuses are open to the public when school is not in session, we have no indication that either incident was perpetrated by a member of the school community.

Today’s incident is yet another reminder that we must denounce hate in all its forms. Antisemitism, racism, hate speech, bullying, or the dissemination of hate-related symbols will not be tolerated in the City of Stamford or Stamford Public Schools. Everyone in our community – especially the young people who attend our schools – deserve respect and to live, work, and learn without fear of being targeted based on their faith, nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation 

We are asking families to immediately report any antisemitic incidents at their school to the building principal or another administrator. If the school administration does not respond to your concerns within 48 hours, the matter should be escalated to Superintendent Lucero’s office via email at SPSSuper@stamfordct.gov. We want to be clear that under no circumstances should a student or staff member feel bullied, targeted, or singled out based on their faith.

We are announcing today that the City of Stamford and Stamford Public Schools will be working with local faith leaders and community organizations to offer anti-bias programming in our middle and high schools. This effort will be led by Dr. Lucero, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, and the associate superintendents who supervise our high schools and middle schools, Dr. Michael Fernandes, and Dr. Lori Rhodes, respectively. We will have more to share on this soon.

We will continue to work together to create a community in which every resident feels respected, accepted, and welcome. The students who reported this latest example of hate should be commended for setting a positive example for everyone in our community.

Caroline Simmons

Mayor

Jackie Heftman

President, Board of Education

Tamu Lucero

Superintendent 

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Submitted by Stamford, CT

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