Watch CBS News

San Jose High School Students Shocked By Racist Graffiti In Classroom

SAN JOSE (KCBS) - Students at a San Jose high school were shocked and saddened by racist and inflammatory graffiti that showed up in some of their classrooms Tuesday.

The graffiti showed up in classrooms at Mt. Pleasant High School after some teachers allowed students to draw on walls that were scheduled to be destroyed.

The tagging at Mt. Pleasant High School included Nazi symbols and racial slurs, including the "n-word," according to police.

"It's so despicable," said senior Gabriella Trujillo-Robnatt, who said some teachers allowed students to draw on the classroom walls, since they are scheduled to be demolished. But among the names and pictures, someone drew swastikas and derogatory words.

KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:

"It's sad but I don't feel threatened by it," she said. "It's just an empty person acting out for attention."

The school has painted over the graffiti and Frank Biehl, President of the East Side Union High School District, said they are trying to identify the taggers.

"We have surveillance cameras and they're checking the footage to see if they can determine who was involved in putting these very, very offensive statements on the walls," said Biehl. "I can tell you that it's not reflective of the school at all."

If caught, the students could be suspended or expelled. As for the teachers, Biehl said they made a bad decision on how to handle school property.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.