UPDATED, July 6: Police Chief Frederick Ryan and Superintendent of Schools Kathleen Bodie report that the racist text messages allegedly sent by a student at Ottoson Middle School were fabricated.
In late June, the Arlington Police Department began investigating allegations that a sixth-grade student at Ottoson Middle School sent racist text messages to one student about another.
Following an investigation, police determined that the student who claimed to have received the hateful messages had created the narrative and fabricated the story, a joint news release issued Wednesday, July 6, says.
The Globe reported July 6: “No information was provided on the student’s motivation.”
“The allegation of racist texts being sent from one middle school student to another was concerning and hurtful to the entire community, and I am disappointed that a student would falsify a report of this nature,” Superintendent Bodie said. “Thank you to the Arlington Police Department for its full and thorough investigation.”
No charges have been filed at this time; however, police are working with the school department to determine the appropriate corrective action for the student.
“We took this matter seriously,” Chief Ryan said. “We’re happy to have been able to bring it to a quick resolution.”
Here is what YourArlington reported June 28:
Arlington police are investigating racist text messages allegedly sent by a 12-year-old to a fellow Ottoson student of Indian descent. This is the latest report among similar incidents since March.
The Boston Globe first reported the case Tuesday, June 28, and police chief Fred Ryan confirmed the accuracy of the account.
Ryan told The Globe that the messages from girl, 12, were reported to his department earlier Monday.
The Globe reported that it had received a copy of the messages containing “multiple racial epithets.” The texts appeared to be directed at a student of Indian descent and included derogatory references to his heritage. A detective was assigned to the case, and his department is contacting families of all students involved.
John M. Guilfoil, a spokesman for the Arlington police and schools, told The Globe that school officials are aware of the incident and are conducting an “administrative investigation.”
Kathleen Bodie, superintendent of Arlington Public Schools, released the following statement June 28:
“Arlington Public Schools has been made aware of an allegation where a sixth-grade student at Ottoson Middle School allegedly sent racially offensive text messages to one student about another student. We are actively working with the administrators at the middle school to discuss and determine the best course of action to take.
“We are also cooperating with the Arlington Police Department during its investigation into this incident. We appreciate the community’s support and patience.”
Chief Ryan issued this statement the same day:
“The Arlington Police Department is working with the Arlington Public Schools to investigate allegations that a sixth grade student at Ottoson Middle School sent text messages to another student containing derogatory and racist statements about a third student. We are contacting all families involved and will conduct a thorough investigation.”
In a March 17 letter to parents, Ottoson Principal Timothy Ruggere said racist and anti-Semitic graffiti had been found in two bathrooms at the school.
Officials said at the time that administrators had contacted the town’s Human Rights Commission and the Anti-Defamation League.
In March, Miriam Stein, a former cochair of the Arlington Vision 2020 Diversity Task Group, received a copy of a Ku Klux Klan badge in the mail after she published a letter in the Globe last December criticizing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s initial reluctance to disavow a former Klan leader. YourArlington republished that letter.
This report was published Tuesday, June 28, 2016, and updated July 6.
