Morgan Hill police are investigating offensive graffiti and other vandalism that appeared on the front walls of Paradise Valley Elementary School and neighboring properties sometime before the morning of Jan. 23, according to authorities.
About 6:30 a.m., a custodian at the school noticed spray-painted tags on the school that included a swastika, the letters “KKK,” the name of the popular band “Metallica” and other “inappropriate signs, symbols and nondescript” drawings, according to Morgan Hill Police Sgt. Ray Ramos. The custodian promptly called police.
The tagging at the school at 1400 La Crosse Drive was also found on concrete and doors outside the school, Ramos said.
The resulting investigation also found similar tagging on the garage door of a nearby home. Two vehicles were also vandalized—one with a smashed windshield and another with more spray-painted graffiti, Ramos added.
While some of the images depicted in the graffiti refer to intolerant or racist themes, police do not think the vandalism rises to the level of a hate crime due to the presence of other symbols or tags that do not necessarily support intolerance.
Some of the tags included obscene drawings, rap lyrics and references to marijuana, authorities said.
“We believe it was a group of juvenile adolescents who randomly targeted the school and adjacent house” and vehicles, Ramos said.
The garage door that was vandalized was located at a private residence on La Escuela Court, police said.
“Morgan Hill is an all-inclusive community that celebrates diversity, and our top priorities as a city and a school district are to support youth and keep our youth safe,” Ramos added.
No suspects have been arrested or identified, and the investigation is ongoing, Ramos added. Investigators are reviewing surveillance video captured outside the school.
Police do not yet know the estimated cost of the damages.
School authorities were relieved that the school custodian noticed the vandalism and offensive tagging early enough so that staff could cover it up before parents and students arrived for school Friday morning, according to Morgan Hill Unified School District Human Resources Director Fawn Myers.
She added that school officials will continue to work with police during the investigation so the community can “keep our neighborhood safe and keep our public spaces clean.”
“I know the Paradise community is a close community, and it’s disheartening when a public space is vandalized, because all of us feel vulnerable,” Myers said.
