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Swastikas found at schools in Westwood and Sharon

Police in Westwood and Sharon are investigating after anti-Semitic images were discovered at schools in , officials said.

A student in Westwood has been disciplined for allegedly drawing a swastika in the boys’ bathroom of the middle school, officials said.

Michael Redmon, the principal of the Thurston Middle School in Westwood, sent a statement about the incident to the school community on Tuesday.

“We have been able to identify the student responsible for this incident and disciplinary action has been taken,” Redmon said in the statement. “Experiences like this one allow us to continue to teach students about the impact words and actions have on our community.”

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School officials said the swastika was found Monday afternoon.

Redmon thanked the students who reported the vandalism and cooperated with the investigation.

“While this situation is upsetting, I am proud of the actions taken by students who reported the situation and helped with our investigation,” he said. “I believe these students did exactly what we want them to do in order to keep our environment safe and welcoming for all students.”

Sharon police are investigating a separate incident after students found a swastika and a racial slur written on a whiteboard in the Sharon High School auditorium Wednesday morning, Sharon police said in a statement.

There are no suspects at the time. The drawing was in a public area that many people can access, police said.

Sharon superintendent Victoria Greer in a letter to the community commended the students who alerted the administration and the school resource officer.

She said the incident is an “affront to our core values of acceptance, equity, honesty, integrity, respect, kindness and teamwork.”

“These types of incidences send chills through our schools and community each time they happen and it is time for them to cease,” Greer wrote in the letter.

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Students with information related to the incident are asked to contact police at (781) 784-1587.


Andrew Stanton can be reached at Andrew.Stanton@globe.com. Emily Sweeney can be reached atesweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.