Swastikas found in Voorheesville school

Thursday, April 25, 2024 - 17:08

— File photo from Albany County Sheriff’s Office
A decade ago, a swastika was painted at the entry to the Voorheesville Public Library.

VOORHEESVILLE — Swastikas were found “etched into a music stand” in a Voorheesville school on Wednesday.

An email about the incident sent to parents said, “We want to let you know of a disturbing discovery involving vandalism of some shared school property. On Wednesday, April 24, a student discovered swastikas etched into a music stand.

“The student immediately informed their teacher, and administration, including the district’s liaison for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), was notified. The school is investigating all legal options. No other swastikas were discovered.”

Superintendent Frank Macri in an email to The Enterprise said, “All the information we have at this time is in the letter.”

It’s not the first incident of antisemitism in Voorheesville, and is the just latest in a recent series of law-enforcement run-ins for Voorheesville schools.

In 2014, a swastika was spray-painted at the entrance to Voorheesville Public Library. The library’s Jewish director at the time said she was surprised and horrified and didn’t know how to process it on a personal level.

The school suffered vandalism at the same time, with the high school entrance sign painted with vulgarities directed at the principal. The superintendent at the time said, “I was heartbroken, to be honest. It’s an insult to the entire community.”

Earlier this month, a Voorheesville Elementary School janitor was charged with six counts of unlawful surveillance after a cellphone he placed in a staff bathroom was discovered recording video.

In November 2022, a seventh-grader at Voorheesville Middle School was charged with a misdemeanor for “a threat involving a weapon made against other students,” according to the Albany County Sheriff’s Office.

In May of that year, an 11-year Voorheesville Middle School student was charged with a felony for threatening to kill a classmate.

Just a month earlier, a 15-year-old student being charged with a felony for threatening to bring a gun into school and using it on classmates. The student had been speaking with other students when “another student heard the situation and brought it to the administration,” Macri said in April 2022. 

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