Shook the Spot

SMOKE . . . WATER . . . DEBRIS . . . SWASTIKAS . . . FECES . . . WELCOME TO SCARSDALE HIGH

Dear Parents,

As you have probably heard from your child, there was a fire in the first-floor stairwell of the new wing at approximately 8:15 this morning. The fire department arrived quickly on the scene as students evacuated the building, and extinguished the fire after several minutes. Unfortunately, many students and staff members were left out in the chilly and damp weather during the evacuation for an extended period of time while the fire department members performed their duties. The new wing was closed for much of the day due to smoke, water, and debris. There were no injuries or damage to students or their property. Members of the counseling department monitored the entrances to the wing on the first, second, and third floors to safeguard student belongings, and students were permitted into the wing at 2:00 under faculty supervision to reclaim their things.

Most distressing, however, is that this appears by all accounts to have been a case of arson. We believe that other materials were used to ignite several desks that were stored underneath the stairwell, and the fire and police departments as well as school officials are proceeding with an investigation. I received permission from the fire department to gather all students in the gymnasium at the other end of the building for an impromptu assembly on what had happened. I also shared with the student body and the staff that I received notice yesterday that two of our boys restrooms on the second floor and one on the main floor had been defaced, one with human feces. In addition, we have observed several recent acts of anti-Semitic vandalism in the form of swastikas that have been quickly removed in a few places around the building.

I declared before the group that no matter how lofty the reputation of Scarsdale High School, despite our fine test scores and record of college admissions, these acts of vandalism surely indicate that the acts of an individual or a small group of individuals threaten all of us and say so much about how our school community can be affected by a very small minority of students. Couple these incidents with the recent bomb threat, I remarked, and it is clear that we are experiencing a series of events that undermine not only our physical safety, but also the instructional time to which students are entitled. I also asked for anyone with knowledge of today's incident to contact me confidentially with information about the incident. This request has produced several leads that we are in the process of pursuing.

I subsequently met with the Superintendent of Schools, the two assistant superintendents, as well as the Principal's Cabinet, and we have identified several incremental steps in response that I will share with students at 8:05 tomorrow morning by the public address system as well as at grade-level assemblies on Thursday. Part of the responsibility for taking back our school must rest with its most important resource, our students. Today's event signals an escalation in acts of vandalism that no institution can long sustain.

We will respond decisively, we will prosecute forcefully, and we will assure the physical safety and educational integrity of Scarsdale High School. Following my remarks with students tomorrow morning after an early-morning faculty meeting, I will be writing you again tomorrow to relate those steps in detail.

In the interim, please feel free to discuss this matter with your child at home. Many students were justifiably dismayed to see a fire in their building and need our reassurance. I will do all in my power to bring these incidents under control and the perpetrators to accountability.

As always, I invite your comments.

Sincerely,
John Klemme
[Principal, Scarsdale High School]