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Calling the cops and initiating an investigation because a swastika was found on a piece of paper is overreaction.Live ammo, swastikas at Boston school prompt criticism of principal
Jackson Cote, masslive.com - 2h ago {30 April 2022}
Two Boston city councilors have accused a school principal of failing to ensure public safety in the wake of the discovery of live ammunition and swastikas at the school this week, a claim the school district has refuted.
Councilors Ed Flynn and Michael Flaherty were informed by a parent of a student at the James F. Condon School on Friday that a live round .45 caliber bullet was found in a bathroom at the school, the officials said in a statement Saturday. The councilors were told the principal did not authorize a protective K9 sweep, they noted.
“We immediately contacted the Boston Police Department (BPD) who confirmed a bullet was indeed found,” the statement said. “We subsequently requested that BPD conduct a sweep of the school building and grounds after we learned the principal did not authorize one earlier for the safety of everyone in the building.”
In follow-up discussions with Boston Public Schools, Mayor Michelle Wu’s office and other city officials, Flynn and Flaherty were informed that a piece of paper or literature was also found at the school earlier this week that displayed swastikas, according to the statement.
“This disturbing discovery and lack of action underscores the principal’s failure to ensure public safety yesterday,” the councilors said. “When school leadership fails to take potential incidents of violence and hate seriously, it creates an environment that is indifferent to violence and inappropriate behavior.”
Flynn and Flaherty have requested a “complete and through” investigation into the discovery of the bullet and swastikas. The councilors also asked the city to provide a “full and transparent” accounting of facts to students, parents, faculty and members of the South Boston community.
The councilors’ statement puts them at odds with Boston Public Schools. The school district claimed, “contrary to inflammatory statements from public officials,” leadership at the Condon School reported the discoveries of the bullets and swastikas within minutes of both incidents. BPS safety services and Boston police were on site to ensure the appropriate steps were taken and there was no immediate threat to the school.
“The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority at BPS,” BPS said. “BPS and the Condon School leadership and staff are cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities to investigate these troubling incidents to prevent them from occurring in the future.”
The Condon School is a public kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school located in South Boston. Robert Chisholm is listed on the school’s website as its principal. The Condon School did not immediately respond to MassLive’s request for comment Saturday.