San Diego

Swastika, Obscene Images Spray Painted Across Center of Westview High School

Law enforcement cordoned off the center of campus with yellow police tape

The discovery of a swastika and crude sexual imagery spray painted on the campus of Westview High School prompted an investigation Wednesday.

When morning staff arrived, they found the large "W" logo in the center of the campus covered with distasteful symbols in black spray paint, said school officials. Campus security guards immediately grabbed some tarps to cover the area, so students would not be exposed.

The school reported the vandalism just before 7 a.m., said San Diego police. Law enforcement cordoned off the center of campus with yellow police tape.

Paint crews are working to repair the damage. Poway Unified School District (PUSD) officials estimate it will cost more than $1,000 to repaint the large "W" logo.

It's not common for the school to be vandalized, said PUSD spokesperson Christine Paik. The campus is one of the newest schools in the district.

β€œObviously, students and staff are pretty angry," said Paik. "It’s a beautiful campus and they work hard to keep it up and make it a safe place for students to learn every day.”

Currently, the incident is not being investigated as a hate crime because the content does not appear to target specific people.

β€œIt was a very broad variety of offensive language and images," added Paik.

School officials said this vandalism goes against everything the campus stands for and how they try to educate their students.

"While the investigation and cleanup is underway, it is important our community knows that this is not the Wolverine Way," stated Principal Tina Zegler, in a letter to parents.

"The actions of this person or group of people do not reflect the pride we take in our campus and the safe learning environment that Westview High School and the Poway Unified School District strive to provide our students," continued Ziegler.

It's not yet clear who is responsible for the graffiti. Paik said the suspects would have had to jump a fence or several fences because the campus is closed to the public.

The principal asked any students with information that could help the investigation to contact her office. School officials will review their security cameras to see if surveillance footage captured any evidence.

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