Still no suspects in Tynan racist vandalism

No suspects have been announced in the racially charged vandalism at South Boston’s Tynan School, though it has been more than a week since the incident. The school district sent a letter to families and staff at the school asking to continue to support the students as they process the incident. “The last week has been difficult for the Joseph P. Tynan Elementary School and the entire Boston Public Schools community,” Interim Superintendent Laura Perille said in the letter. “We remind everyone that the City of Boston and the Boston Public Schools will not tolerate hatred, discrimination, or bias of any kind.” Last Wednesday, a custodian found racial slurs spray-painted onto the side of the school. “Situations like this bring great outrage, but they aren’t new,” NAACP Boston President Tanisha Sullivan said in an interview with the Herald last week. “People may think, ‘It’s 2018, how is this happening,’ but it is important to remember with a historic lens that this type of racism has happened before with our school community, especially in South Boston.” The community came together to support the students, doing what they could to reassure them that the school is a safe place, Perille said. “Since notifying the community about the incident, the Tynan school community has received an outpouring of support from fellow students, families, and countless community members,” Perille said. “Principal Leslie Gant and I greatly appreciate the encouragement and consolation that the school has received over the past week. “I ask that staff and community members continue to support the Tynan while respecting the fact that our collective focus must be on the well-being and the preservation of their educational environment,” Perille said. “These incidents are in no way reflective of the safe, secure, and supportive environment the Tynan community and the Boston Public Schools are committed to fostering, nor the values we embody,” Perille said. The Boston Police Department declined to make a comment, stating the case is an active investigation.