Town officials denounce racist graffiti found near Wayland High School

WAYLAND — Town officials are denouncing racist graffiti found Wednesday near Wayland High School.

The graffiti was discovered about 7:30 a.m., according to a statement from acting Town Manager John Bugbee, acting Police Chief Ed Burman and School Committee Chairman Chris Ryan. They said the message was directed at a "school department staff member" and was written at the Wayland Community Pool, which is beside the high school.

"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," Burman said. "The person or people found responsible for this hateful message will be held accountable."

The press release did not disclose the exact nature of the graffiti or the identity of the staff member to which it was targeted. But the Wayland Community Pool released a separate statement indicating the target was Superintendent of Schools Omar Easy.

"Occurrences like this are contradictory to the values of Wayland and our overall mission of fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment in our community that respects all people," Bugbee said. "The Wayland Police Department is working to determine the facts so that our community can move forward in a positive direction."

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Wayland police have contacted the Anti-Defamation League of New England about the incident.

School officials were scheduled to share information about the incident with students, staff and families, as well as what steps the district plans on taking.

"On behalf of Wayland Public Schools and our entire community, I denounce this clear and blatant act of racism," said Ryan. "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. We are working very closely with the Wayland Police Department as they determine the circumstances and people involved in this hateful incident."

The Community Pool, in its statement, said the graffiti represents an "act of hate," particularly to "members of our Black and Brown community."

"On behalf of the community pool, we want Dr. Easy and his family to know he has our full support and acknowledge the personal impact this has had on them," the pool's statement reads. The pool is a private not-for-profit program that is funded by fees and donations from the public.

Milly Arbaje-Thomas, president and CEO of METCO Inc., also expressed her outrage as well as her solidarity with Easy. Wayland is among 33 suburban school districts that participate in METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity), which has enrolled tens of thousands of Boston students in predominantly white school districts.

"I hope the person who did this can see the hurt that he or she caused to him, to students of color and to the entire Wayland school community," Arbaje-Thomas said in a statement. "Furthermore, if leaders of color don't feel welcomed and supported, then how can students expect to be safe? I call on every member of the Wayland community to be part of the healing that is needed to recover from this ugly event.“

Easy, an Everett native and former NFL running back, has led Wayland Public Schools since July 2021.

"The pool is truly a community asset used by people from all over the MetroWest area," the pool's statement continues. "To have a community asset defiled with such reprehensible speech is truly disheartening. We as a community are much better than this and we hope that the individual(s) that is/are responsible will consider getting help."

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Wayland police at 508-358-4721.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Wayland police, school district, investigate racist graffiti