Antisemitic Graffiti Found in School Staff Room

Mount Pleasant Elementary School District alerted families on Wednesday, May 20, that a weekend break-in at Robert Sanders Elementary School in East San Jose left antisemitic and other graffiti inside a staff lounge. Photos obtained by KTVU showed a swastika, the words “Hail Hitler,” an image resembling Adolf Hitler and a communist hammer-and-sickle symbol drawn on surfaces in the room. District officials are cooperating with the San Jose Police Department, which KTVU reported had not yet determined whether the case would be classified as a hate crime. (ktvu.com) School officials told parents no students saw the symbols directly, though some children later heard about the incident from teachers. ### Which room was targeted, and what was found there? Robert Sanders Elementary’s staff lounge was the room vandalized during the break-in, according to KTVU’s report on May 20. The station said the graffiti was discovered Monday morning after the weekend intrusion. Photos reviewed by KTVU showed a mix of hateful and other symbols, including a swastika, an Adolf Hitler-like drawing, the phrase “Hail Hitler” and a hammer-and-sickle. East San Jose’s Robert Sanders campus is part of the Mount Pleasant Elementary School District and serves elementary-grade students at 3411 Rocky Mountain Drive, according to the school website. (ktvu.com) The campus calendar lists classes and end-of-year events continuing through late May and June. ### Did any students see the graffiti themselves? School officials told families that no children saw the symbols firsthand, KTVU reported. The station said some students learned about the incident indirectly after hearing about it from teachers. One anonymous parent told KTVU that children reported hearing noises over the weekend and said the family saw “three or four teenagers dressed in black.” KTVU did not identify the parent by name. (ktvu.com) The report did not say police had confirmed that account. (robertsanders.mpesd.org) ### What have parents said since the district alert? Daniel DeVargas, a father of daughters at Robert Sanders Elementary, told KTVU he did not want to discuss hate lightly with young children. Another parent, who was not named, told the station the incident was frightening because children are “really easily influenced” and asked how to explain such conduct to a child. (ktvu.com) The same parent also told KTVU that Robert Sanders is “such a good school” and said teachers and staff would do “a good job” speaking with students if needed. That comment reflected confidence in the campus response, not any announced district policy change. (ktvu.com) ### What have police and the district said about the investigation? The San Jose Police Department is investigating the break-in with the school district, according to KTVU. The station reported that police had not yet determined whether the vandalism constituted a hate crime. No arrests were identified in the report published late May 20. (ktvu.com) Mount Pleasant Elementary School District had not posted a separate public statement about the incident on its main website in the material available through web search on May 21. The district website does identify Robert Sanders as one of its schools and lists regular school activities continuing this month. (ktvu.com) ### What happens next on campus? Robert Sanders Elementary’s website lists a school musical for May 29, a College Parade for June 3, a kindergarten ceremony for June 11 and a fifth-grade promotion on June 11. The calendar indicates the campus remains in regular operation after the reported vandalism. San Jose police have not publicly announced a charging decision in the case in the material surfaced by web search, and the district’s next visible public milestones are those scheduled school events. (ktvu.com) Families seeking updates are most likely to receive them through district communications or police announcements as the investigation continues. (robertsanders.mpesd.org) (mpesd.org)