Racist graffiti that was scratched on bathroom walls at Parkway Central High School came from a black student, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The abusive messages, that included the slurs “HOPE ALL BLACK PEOPLE DIE” and the n-word, appeared in several bathrooms across the Parkway Central and Parkway North schools earlier in September.
Hundreds of students from one of the affected facilities, Parkway Central, walked out of class in protest on 24 September to decry the incident and urge the school to “do better”.
However, Parkway Central High School’s superintendent Keith Marty revealed in a Tuesday letter to students and parents that the person responsible for the act of vandalism was “not white”.
"This does not diminish the hurt it caused or the negative impact it has had on our entire community,” Marty said.
The student reportedly admitted drawing the graffiti at Parkway Central and is now facing “severe disciplinary consequences” for violating the district’s policies. The person’s motivation is unknown.
District spokeswoman Cathy Kelly told AP that a similar racially-charged incident at Parkway North was still being investigated as they do not believe the same student was involved. They are still searching for the culprit.