Cheerleaders find racist graffiti, soiled uniforms at Georgia high school, cops say
Editor’s note: The following story contains language and images that may be offensive.
A cheer squad was met with alarming graffiti, including a racial slur and sexually explicit images, in their room at an Atlanta-area high school, prompting a police investigation, news outlets reported.
Officers arrested a “juvenile” in connection with the Dec. 10 incident at Cartersville High School, district officials told McClatchy News. However, students and parents are still reeling from the incident.
Cheerleaders said someone scrawled an anti-Black slur on their refrigerator along with crude drawings of male genitalia, WXIA reported. Their uniforms were also soiled with yellow mustard and coffee creamer, students told the station.
Photos of the vandalism were circulated on social media.
“What’s the reason behind it, you know?” cheerleader Bria Callan told WSB-TV. “We already have a negative image on us just because we’re a mostly Black team.”
Cartersville City Schools said it immediately launched an investigation.
“The joint investigation with Cartersville Police Department concluded within 24 hours on early afternoon Wednesday with the arrest of a juvenile,” a district spokesperson told McClatchy News in a statement.
“Cartersville City Schools does not tolerate any actions that make our students and staff feel unsafe.”
The suspect, who wasn’t identified, is not a student at Cartersville High School, WANF reported, citing police.
Authorities didn’t say what charges the juvenile is facing or how they got into the school.
McClatchy News reached out to the Cartersville Police Department for more information Dec. 13 and was awaiting a response.
Some parents have criticized the district’s handling of the situation, saying they weren’t made aware of what happened until days later, according to WANF.
“To have this hate crime and for them to wait this long,” Peggy Carter, whose granddaughter and nieces are on the cheer squad, told the station. “Today is Thursday, the parents should have been notified earlier.”
The NAACP Bartow County Branch also addressed the “disturbing situation” in a statement shared on its Facebook page.
“We are actively collaborating with the Cartersville School System to guarantee the physical safety and security of all students and staff,” the organization said Dec. 12. “We have received firm assurances from Cartersville School System staff that the safety and security of students and staff is their top priority.”
School administrators met with the cheerleaders and their families Thursday to hear their concerns and discuss how future incidents can be avoided, WAGA reported.
Authorities said their investigation is ongoing.
Cartersville is about a 40-mile drive northwest from downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Cheerleaders find racist graffiti, soiled uniforms at Georgia high school, cops say."