Swastika found on Mt. Bethel Elementary bathroom wall

After staff at Mt. Bethel Elementary discovered an antisemitic image drawn by a student on Wednesday, principal Tucker Smith had the image removed and began an immediate investigation into the incident. 

In a letter to the school community, Smith wrote, “As a reminder to students and their families, this destructive behavior is against our school policies and can come with severe repercussions. Please help us to reinforce appropriate behavior, to treat each other kindly, and to respect others as well as our school building and property.”

Unfortunately, dealing with antisemitic incidents is not new for the Cobb County School District. It saw an incident in September 2021 where swastikas and the words “Hail Hitler” were written in a boys bathroom at Pope High School; a few days after this incident, similar graffiti was found in a bathroom at Lassiter High School; a swastika was also found in a Simpson Middle School bathroom that year.

A student at East Cobb Middle School was photographed in 2022 performing a Nazi salute while wearing an armband resembling a swastika. The school district itself came under fire for a new logo it proposed for Eastside Elementary School, which many complained about because of its resemblance to the emblem of Nazi Germany.

Smith said his administration’s top priority is to ensure the safety of Mt. Bethel Elementary staff and students saying, “We will continue to be zealous in our efforts to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all our students.”